Red Velvet Yule Log Cake

Mom and I went on a baking adventure of a lifetime when we travelled to participate on Hallmark Channel’s Baked with Love: Holiday. This holiday baking competition was SO MUCH FUN to participate in and like no experience I’ve ever had. On the first episode of the series we were tasked with a surprise bake challenge and a family bake challenge. We survived episode one without being eliminated, but that was no easy task!

I’m sharing my recipe for Elmer’s Red Velvet Yule Log below. This family bake is a nod to my grandfather, who always had a fire burning during the holiday season. The flavor profile of this cake is a nod to my husband, who enjoys red velvet cake. The cake is filled with toasted almond whipped cream and frosted with chocolate buttercream.

Photo Credit: ©️The Hallmark Channel 2025

During this family bake challenge we had to bake the red velvet sponge cake, make the whipped cream filling and buttercream, and create cake decorations with tinted marzipan and fresh candied herbs. Mom came up with idea of placing a candle on top of our cake, and I created the frosted berries and holly with tinted marzipan and sanding sugar.

Marzipan is sold in the baking section of most local grocery stores. We may have bought our local store out of this specialty ingredient when we practiced this bake at my home. Marzipan is easy to work with and easy to tint. I would suggest wearing gloves when handling marzipan and food coloring gels.

The pine cones on the cake are made by shaping the marzipan into a pine cone shape and gently placing sliced almonds into the marzipan.

If you weren’t able to catch the first episode of Baked with Love: Holiday, you can stream it now on Hallmark+. I’ve included the recipe for our red velvet Yule log cake below. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Baking,

Sally

Yield: 10-12
Author:
Red Velvet Yule Log Cake

Red Velvet Yule Log Cake

Time label: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 30 M

This delicious red velvet Yule log cake can add a festive flair to your holiday table! Use this cake as a centerpiece, and then serve it for dessert. The red velvet sponge along with the whipped cream filling and buttercream will have your mouth bursting with flavor. I hope you will try this recipe!

Ingredients

For the red velvet sponge cake
  • 1C AP Flour (120 grams)
  • 3T unsweetened cocoa powder (22 grams)
  • 1t baking powder (5ml)
  • 1/2t kosher salt (2.84 grams)
  • 4 large eggs, room temp., yolks and whites separated
  • 3/4C granulated sugar (150 grams)
  • 6T crème fraiche (84 grams)
  • 1/4C unsalted butter, softened (115 grams)
  • 1/2t vanilla extract (2.5ml)
  • 1T red food coloring gel (15ml)
  • 1C confectioners sugar, divided (115 grams)
Ingredients for the filling
  • 1.25C sliced almonds, toasted and finely chopped (137.5 grams)
  • 1.25C heavy whipping cream, cold (295.75 ml)
  • 1/3C confectioners sugar (45 grams)
  • 1/2t vanilla extract (2.5ml)
Ingredients for the buttercream frosting
  • 1.5C unsalted butter, room temp (345 grams)
  • 7C confectioners sugar, sifted (840 grams)
  • 1T unsweetened cocoa powder (15ml)
  • 2t vanilla extract (10ml)
  • 4-6T heavy whipping cream (60-90ml)
  • 2T brown food coloring gel (30ml)
For the Decorations
  • 800 grams marzipan
  • Sliced almonds
  • White Sanding sugar
  • Gold Sanding sugar
  • Red food coloring gel
  • Green food coloring gel
  • Orange food coloring gel
  • Karo’s Light corn syrup
  • Roasted pistachios, finely chopped
  • 5-7 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 5-7 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

For the sponge cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Spray a 15×10 inch jelly roll pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper sticks up at least an inch above the sides of the pan on all sides. You’ll use the parchment paper later to lift the cake out of the pan and roll it up. You can use 4 metal clips to keep the parchment paper in place.
  2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk together over medium speed until well combined.
  4. Add the crème fraiche, softened butter, and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
  5. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and gently whisk together over low speed until well combined, then set aside.
  6. Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
  7. Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen up the batter. Add red food coloring and stir until fully combined.
  8. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until well combined.
  9. Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  10. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on the counter.
  11. While the cake is hot, carefully transfer cake to a tea towel that has been generously dusted with a 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar. Dust the top of the cake with the remaining confectioners sugar.
  12. Use the tea towel and start at the shorter end of the cake to slowly roll the cake up. Place the cake in the refrigerator to cool completely.
For the filling and the buttercream frosting
  1. While the cake is cooling, make the filling by combining heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract to a large bowl of a stand mixer. Whip over medium speed until soft peaks form. Place in refrigerator until ready to use. Meanwhile, toast and chop sliced almonds and set aside.
  2. Make the buttercream by whipping the butter over medium speed in stand mixer. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder. While mixing over medium speed, add vanilla extract, then add heavy whipping cream one tablespoon at a time until a smooth buttercream forms. Reserve a small amount of frosting for each end of the Yule Log. Finally, add in brown food coloring and stir until fully combined, then set aside.
  3. Once the cake is cool, gently fold toasted, chopped almonds into whipped cream.
  4. Unroll the cake roll very carefully, looking out for areas where it may be sticking to release it. You can use an offset spatula or something similar and run it along the tea towel as you unroll the cake to help release it as it unrolls.
  5. Spread the filling evenly onto the unrolled cake, then roll it back up without the tea towel. Return the cake to the refrigerator.
To decorate the Yule log cake
  1. To decorate the cake, use a large serrated knife to gently trim the ends of the cake.
  2. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large 4B tip with the tinted buttercream frosting. Pipe the ends of the Yule log with the light buttercream frosting. Then starting on one side, pipe lines to create a tree bark effect on the log from one side to the other.
  3. Use marzipan, food coloring gels, sliced almonds, and white sanding sugar to create pine cones, berries, leaves, and a candle to decorate the log.
  4. Slice 15 grams off of marzipan and use 5ml of red dye to color the marzipan. Roll pieces of red marzipan to create berries. Roll berries on a plate of sanding sugar to create frosted berry effect.
  5. Slice off 15 grams of marzipan and use 5ml of green dye to color the marzipan. Roll marzipan into 1/4 inch thickness and use holly leaf cookie cutter to cut 6 holly leaves. Dip leaves in sanding sugar and set aside.
  6. Roll 90 grams of marzipan into an egg shape. Carefully place sliced almonds into marzipan to create pine cones.
  7. Slice 2.5 grams of marzipan and use orange food coloring to create a flame, set aside.
  8. Roll remaining marzipan into a cone shape to create a candle, set aside.
  9. Carefully arange marzipan decorations onto the Yule log cake.
  10. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Did you make this recipe?
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Sally’s Confections