A Bûche de Noël is a traditional French Christmas dessert shaped after a yule log for which it is named.

Made from a thin rectangle of Génoise sponge cake that is frosted with a flavored buttercream filling, rolled, and frosted again and decorated to more or less look like a log ready to be tossed on the proverbial fire, the Bûche de Noël can be made in a multitude of variations, including chocolate, chestnut, coconut, exotic fruit, or even truffles.

Legend has it that the Bûche de Noël was created as a reaction to Napoleon I, who ordered Parisians to keep their drafty chimneys closed during the illness-prone winter, forcing them to come up with a replacement for the dearly held traditions of the hearth.

Today during the Christmas season, Paris pastry shops compete to create the chicest and most unusual bûches, often hiring designers like Karl Lagerfeld to create bûches with exotic ingredients and high-concept designs. And French cooking magazines are full of variations to keep the annual tradition from getting boring.