A Yule log or bûche de Noël (French pronunciation: [byʃ də nɔɛl] ⓘ) is a traditional Christmas cake, often served as a dessert, especially in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Vietnam,[1] and Quebec, Canada.

Yule logs are often served with one end cut off and set atop the cake, or protruding from its side to resemble a chopped off branch.

[3] Other cake decorations may include actual tree branches, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue or marzipan.

The name bûche de Noël originally referred to the Yule log itself, and was transferred to the dessert after that custom had fallen out of popular use.

References to it as bûche de Noël or, in English, Yule Log, can be found from at least the Edwardian era (for example, F. Vine, Saleable Shop Goods (1898 and later).