Coconut Yule Log with Yuzu Buttercream #CakeSliceBakers

November 20, 2023

This recipe starts with a coconut cake that then gets layered with yuzu curd, frosted with a vanilla-flavored French buttercream, and dusted with flaked coconut. Because yuzu can be hard to find, the author suggests a number of substitutes including other citrus curds and chocolate buttercream. I opted for lime curd.

The cake recipe is simple, the instruction for rolling it up worked like a charm. My experience with cake rolls has been a little rocky in the past - the cake has cracked, broken or even stuck to the pan. I had none of those issues this time. The cake is flavored with coconut extract which gives it just the right level of coconuttiness when combined with the other components.

I followed the instructions for the yuzu curd but substituted lime juice for yuzu juice. My curd need a little longer on the stove as it was not quite thick enough, even when mixed with 1/2 C buttercream as the recipe suggests. But it did taste delicious.

If you haven't made French buttercream before, I highly recommended it. The texture and taste are my favorite of all the styles of buttercream. It starts with egg yolks that you beat until they are thick and foamy. You then drizzle in simple syrup that's been heated to the soft ball stage and beat until it's cool. At this point, you add the butter, 1 T at a time. Add your flavoring and keep beating until you have frosting.

The author says to serve the cake at room temperature which we did the first night. The next morning, though, I ate a piece straight from the refrigerator and did not feel that it suffered any for the cold.

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by Aleksandra Crapanzano. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.