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Only a few months after joining the palace, talented pastry chef Maxence Barbot has created his first Yule log for the hotel. Inspired by the fir trees illuminating its French style garden, this sculptural chocolate creation is equally delightful. The Yule log is composed of a rich mousse of dark chocolate (65%) from Madagascar, (roasted by Nicolas Berger, the master in the art and a reference for all pastry makers in France), Tahitian roasted vanilla cream, caramel with sweet clover flowers, and a tangy centre made from the pulp of the cocoa bean, all covered in milk chocolate on a crispy base of chocolate and sea salt wafers.
Timothy Lam has taken over pâtisserie at the palace after having worked alongside Maxence Barbot, now at the Bristol Paris. He has worked with top pastry chefs at the Peninsula, the Jules Verne, Le Crillon and the Bristol Paris. He has just created his first Yule log for the prestigious palace located on Iéna hill. His Bûche ‘Fleur de Vanille’. Inspired by the flower of the Bauhinia- Hong Kong's iconic orchid flower, and also the name of the restaurant situated under the hotel’s stunning glass roof. Vanilla is present in every layer of this three-dimensional creation: from the soft biscuit with vanilla seeds to the vanilla-flavoured milk jam, as well as in the lightly roasted vanilla cream, the airy mousse, and finally in the crunchy vanilla -flavoured base. The whole thing is coated in a thin coating of white chocolate, flavoured with vanilla, of course!
The palace’s pastry chef Michael Bartocetti, makes some of the most outstanding desserts in the capital, throughout the year. For Christmas 2025, he has taken inspiration from the winter season and its white mantle covering a log on which small Christmas roses have fallen. A splendid trompe-l’œil, and a veritable sculptural creation with a creamy texture. The entremets reveals hints of vanilla, dark chocolate crisp and gianduja à la fleur de sel, and biscuit ‘à la fleur de Cazette’ (i.e. hazelnuts), from Burgundy, vanilla bavaroise, vanilla crème brûlée and caramel noisette – vanilla caviar.
Each winter, the Plaza Athénée sets up an ice rink in the hotel’s winter garden. For the first time, Angelo Musa - Meilleur Ouvrier de France - and Élisabeth Hot, the hotel’s pastry chefs, create a yule log: the Plaza Athénée ice rink. In this delightful dessert full of surprises, the fences are made of 70% cocoa dark chocolate. The cake itself consists of a crunchy pecan base, a soft biscuit and caramel made with Erica heather honey from the Atlantic Pyrenees (with a candied cherry and lemon flavour), candied citrus fruit pieces and a lemon-flavoured mousse.
At the Hôtel de Crillon, famous palace overlooking Place de la Concorde, the Christmas festivities are taken seriously. Pastry chef Matthieu Carlin creates wonderful desserts and pastries to sample in the Butterfly Room, the hotel’s small salon de thé, - decorated with butterflies (in a nod to the work by Damien Hirst) and directly accessible from 6 rue Boissy d’Anglas. Their Yule log is one of our favourites this year: firstly, because it is a a true miniature version of the hotel and secondly because it is exquisitely composed of Madagascar vanilla mousse, crunchy almond and speculoos praline, apple compote and soft biscuit. Plus, once you're there, it's really tempting to try thecakes, biscuits and other gourmet delights beautifully presented in glass display cases.
Every year, Hélène Kerloeguen, the talented pastry chef at the hotel Prince de Galles, celebrates the design of this listed hotel. For Christmas 2025, her oval Yule log features motifs from the art deco stained-glass windows, on the hotel’s sixth floor, visible from the Patio. Wrought ironwork, central to her inspiration, is represented here in the form of black tiles decorated with geometric patterns. It even shapes the sides of the log, creating a textured effect reminiscent of the cut stone used in the hotel's construction – identical to that of the Arc de Triomphe. On a crispy pecan praline base, the recipe includes a pecan biscuit, pear compote flavoured with bergamot, enveloped in a light bergamot mousse.
This year, the highly creative Nina Métayer has crafted an exceptional Christmas treat: a huge chocolate Christmas tree bauble which you might think had fallen into an Alice in Wonderland potion as it weighs almost 1.7kg! A stunning table centre piece for your festive meals with and outer layer of milk chocolate and coloured hand-painted motifs. Other surprises - 20 little chocolates to share - are hidden in the base of the bauble. And in the centre the entremets is composed of a crispy shortbread, a soft gingerbread-style biscuit, orange and lemon zest, Christmas spices, floral honey, a compote of candied mandarins and passion fruit, a creamy infusion of cinnamon and Madagascan vanilla, and a chestnut honey ganache.
The world of pastry chef Eddie Benghanem is always nostalgic and playful and … his recipes more than delicious! For the festive season 2025, he has created this Winter star, a stylized chocolate fir tree surrounded by little teddy bears that look good enough to eat . The entremets is tucked away at the foot of the tree, under a thin coating of milk chocolate. Inside is a light cream with two types of vanilla and a namelaka, a creamy milk chocolate caramel cream with fleur de sel, all on a crispy cereal biscuit crumble.
Inspired byemblematic figures from the ballet The Nutcracker, the hotel’s first Yule log by the talented Myriem Alt Yala combines winter flavours: a base of spongy gingerbread, and a layer of crispy gingerbread, poached pear insert, all enveloped in a honey mousse.
The first Yule log pour Abra, the Parisian pâtisserie of Tal Spiegel, which opened just a few months ago makes quite an impression with this unique creation: a map of Paris, where each arrondissement becomes a piece (admittedly unequal!) to share. The recipe is designed to be a gourmet treat: on a crispy almond and buckwheat base, a spongy buckwheat biscuit, a tatin-style pear brunoise topped with a caramel sauce flavoured with Christmas spices, and a vanilla mousse.
An adorable chalet in Peruvian milk chocolate with a white-chocolate snow-covered roof, decorated with little shutters, a pretzel, and a red bow. Next to it, a fir tree sprinkled with pistachio powder and a gingerbread man reminiscent of Grimms' Fairy Tales… The entremets is composed of an intense dark icing, a Peruvian milk chocolate mousse, a creamy tonka bean, a caramel layer, a centre of pretzel praliné and a crispy pretzel biscuit base, to give a sweet and savoury effect.
Finding the ideal Yule log is just one part of getting ready for the festive season. In between seasonal food shopping and the search for the perfect gift for family or friends, Christmas shopping in Paris is a magical and essential experience.
Wonderful department stores, animated window displays, markets with artisanal crafts... don’t waste time searching. Get our guide to plan your Christmas shopping.
Executive pastry chef Arnaud Demerville and his pâtisserie team have created not one but two Yule logs in tribute to the feather costumes worn in the Moulin Rouge’s revue Féerie. It is not widely known, but the Moulin Rouge is also an excellent restaurant that offers fine dining every evening to accompany its shows. The Yule logs each pay tribute to adjacent streets, the rue Blanche and rue Lepic. Plume Blanche comprises a smooth coconut ganache, mango and passion fruit confit, a soft biscuit, a crispy layer and a light mousse whilst Plume Lepic combines flavours of Gianduja with Piedmont hazelnuts and Menton lemon. Both are guaranteed to delight your taste buds!
The signature Yule log Voyage Extraordinaire (‘Extraordinary Journey’) was imagined by pâtissier Kévin Rabateaud with thechef Frédéric Anton who elaborated the menu at the Jules Verne restaurant, (two stars in the Michelin Guide), situated on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. The Yule log takes the form of a telescope, like those at the Eiffel. The recipe consists of a delicate, slightly spicy white chocolate exterior, a biscuit rolled with blood orange, a creamy vanilla citrus filling, yuzu confit, a mousse with Christmas spices and chestnut honey, and praline chocolate decorations and bergamot zest. A real treat!
The Evok hotels collections encompass the finest contemporary hotels: the Brach Paris – designed by Philippe Starck- in the 16th, Nolinski at Opéra and the Cour des Vosges in the Marais. The group’s new pastry chef, Fabien Emery, was inspired by the world of jewellery for his first signature Yule log Precious Snowflake. This European champion of sugar art has added his personal touch with this snowflake sculpted like a work of art. The vanilla shortbread base reveals a crunchy praline, a soft biscuit and creamy pecan cream, with chocolate discs with fruit and nuts and a Madagascar vanilla ganache, all mounted on a milk chocolate and chocolate discs with fruit and nuts.
One of the most recent Parisian hotels! Maison Delano captures the relaxed and chic vibe of its first location, the Delano Miami Beach opened in 1995 and designed by Philippe Starck. As it was the custom to offer each guest at South Beach an apple, Enzo Ohayon and chef Paolo Minelli had the idea of transforming the fruit into a sublime oversized trompe l'oeil surrounded by a white chocolate shell. The entremets is made up of a Bourbon vanilla ganache, Reinette apple juice with cider, pecan praline, Gala apple compote and salted butter caramel. The illusion is perfect!
The beauty and uniqueness of Christmas Yule logs reflect the exceptional craftsmanship of master artisans. If you are inspired by these gourmet creations, why not pass from tasting to creating? Pottery, carpentry, perfumery, etc.
Treat yourself or someone else a unique opportunity to learn a craft. Themanual workshops are the perfect gift experience for a memorable festive season.
