Best Bûches de Noël for Christmas

By Food & Wine
Updated June 16, 2016
Credit: Photo © Jim Franco
While this festive dessert is a holiday classic, it’s a lot of work. Why sweat over this laborious cake when bakeries all around the country are offering their own decadent, innovative variations? Here, show-stopping bûches de Noël from a few of our favorite bakeries around the country. —Julia Heffelfinger
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Bien Cuit, New York City

Credit: Photo © Mathew Andreini

If you don’t happen to be one of the lucky Brooklyn residents near this impeccable French bakery, make the trip to pick up one of these petite works of art. Bien Cuit is offering both a Mont Blanc Bûche — with candied chestnut cream, crispy praline and chocolate ganache — and a Tres Leches Bûche with coconut mousse, milk jam and guava. $35, biencuit.com

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Bad Wolf Coffee, Chicago

Credit: Photo © Bad Wolf Coffee

In this small, understated Chicago bakery, you will find some of the most beautifully executed pastries in the country. Chef/owner Jonathan Ory (an alumnus of both Schwa and NYC’s Momofuku Ko) is offering this bûche de Noël with brown butter, toasted almonds and toffee. Also, don’t miss his custardy canelés while you’re there! $85, badwolfcoffee.com

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Salty Tart, Minneapolis

Credit: Photo courtesy of Salty Tart

Michelle Gayer, owner of Minneapolis’s Salty Tart, describes her bûche de Noël as “traditional with some modern love…all chocolate all the way.” What’s to argue about that? $45, saltytart.com

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Kyra’s Bake Shop, Portland, OR

Credit: Photo © Tim Acock Photography

Now those poor gluten-intolerant people can get in on the holiday fun! Kyra’s Bake Shop in Portland offers this rich, chocolatey Yule log made with a mix of tapioca and potato starch, white rice flour, and of course, lots of chocolate. $50, kyrasbakeshop.com

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Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco

Credit: Photo © William Werner

Another fantastical, jaw-dropping pastry from Craftsman and Wolves: this year’s White Coffee bûche is layered with caramel and hazelnut, and it’s topped with yogurt meringue "button mushrooms" and white chocolate-coffee “twigs.” $42 for two logs, craftsman-wolves.com

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Patina Pastry, Los Angeles

Credit: Photo © Patina Restaurant Group

Try Patina Pastry’s Chocolate Caramel bûche de Noël with Chantilly cream or their Raspberry Meyer Lemon variation with sugar cookie crust and raspberry jam. Feeling indecisive? Grab both “petite” versions. Grande: $48 / Petite: $29, patinagroup.com

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François Payard, NYC

Credit: Photo © Felipe Coronado

Released only once a year and five days before Christmas, François Payard’s bûches de Noël are his take on the old French classic. We are already having glorious dreams about the Chestnut Cassis with vanilla bean pound cake, candied chestnut mousse, roasted pears and a layer of crispy milk chocolate. From $28, payard.com

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Eli’s Manhattan, NYC

Credit: Photo © Quentin Bacon Photography

This all-chocolate Yule log from Eli Zabar is available for delivery anywhere in Manhattan. $35, elizabar.com

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Flour Bakery, Boston

Credit: Photo © Flour Bakery + Cafe

Joanne Chang sells both a traditional chocolate version and a lemon one with candied cranberries at her Boston bakery. $32, flourbakery.com

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Eric Kayser, New York City

Credit: Photo © Jim Franco

This eye-catching berry bûche de nöel from Maison Kayser has layers of pistachio sponge and raspberry black currant mousseline cream. They also offer a classic chocolate and a chestnut bûche with cognac. $6.50/petite, $39/large; maison-kayser.com/en

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