Learn to Make Bûche De Noël in Paris at Christmas
If you’ve been around here for very long or you follow me on instgram, you probably know that we love December in Paris. I think it’s one of the most magical places to be during the holiday season. We are creatures of habit (and there are direct flights from DFW-CDG). So, our December travels always seem to involve a few days in Paris.
A few years ago, I was reading a magazine in the hotel spa. They highlighted the emerging creativity of French pastry chefs around the traditional Buche de Noel. The yule log is one of the most famous Christmas desserts in France. We ended up trying one, and I was hooked. Now, one of my favorite holiday traditions has been taking a Bûche De Noël class in Paris. I’ve done this a few times and it only gets better!
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What is a Bûche De Noël?
Traditionally, the buche de Noel is a Christmas cake that resembles a log. If you know the term “yule log,” that’s what the buche de Noel represents! The most traditional versions are cream filled sponge cakes and covered with ganache or chocolate frosting. They are then decorated to look like a log. Obviously, there is a lot of flexibility with this recipe. You can easily tailor your buche de Noel to your own flavor palatte.
The buche de Noel that first caught my attention was Francois Perret’s 2019 creation. This was a hazelnut cake covered in Gianduja and encircled in chocolate. It was a work of art and available at the Ritz Paris’s Bar Vendome. That’s where we had it the first time. In 2020, I found out that the Ritz Paris Escoffier offers buche de Noel pastry classes in Paris at Christmas time. It became my goal to take one, and 2022, I started this tradition.
The Ritz Paris Buche de Noel
One of the things I love about the Ritz Paris buche de Noel is that it changes every year. Obviously, in 2019, they offered a modern take on a traditional yule log cake. In 2021, Francois Perret designed a Christmas tree that was a chocolate praline cake. In 2022, I learned to make the chocolate cardamon buche de Noel with a mirror glaze. Last year (2023), it was a gold sunburst to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Ritz Paris with chocolate, almond praline, and a vanilla mousse! This year, I’ve opted for the toasted vanilla and caramel Buche de Noel class, but they are also offering a milk chocolate and lime yule log class.
Even when I don’t take the buche de Noel class in Paris, we always opt to pick one up from the Le Comptoir at the Ritz Paris to enjoy during our stay in Paris. There are usually two sizes. I strongly recommend that you order in advance. They absolutely sell out.
If you’re looking for a great gift idea, I highly recommend Francois Perret’s French Pastry cookbook!
Learning to Make Buche de Noel in Paris
Most of the pastry classes in Paris I’ve taken are through the Ritz Escoffier. They generally fit my schedule, and I’ve had great experiences. One of the more challenging aspects of the Escoffier is that classes are taught in French. They do provide a translator, and the translators are very good – but primary instruction is in French. I like this a lot. However, I have a working knowledge of French and studied it in school, so I don’t find it quite as intimidating. The other thing to know is that you will take classes with professional pastry chefs.
All of the pastry classes I’ve taken at the Ritz Paris have been pretty evenly split between people who want to learn for recreation and people who are learning to refine their craft. I’ve enjoyed that part a lot, though it can be a little overwhelming at times. Everyone has always been very kind, but it is a professional course and you should treat it as such.
One of the things I love about short classes at the Ritz is that everything is mise en place – that is everything is in its place. It’s pre-measured and everything is ready for you. The facilities are top of the line (they give you a shopping list if you want to buy anything in Paris), and everything is cleared out so you have a perfect place to work. It’s the perfect test kitchen.
The Ritz Escoffier assigned students as partners to navigate the recipes. This has been my favorite part because I’ve been able to meet some amazing people. It’s also a lot less pressure because you have a partner to help navigate the entire process. As someone who is left handed, a lot of tasks feel pretty daunting. In the buche de Noel class, the mirror glaze was particularly intimidating. However, with the support of my teammate, my buche turned out perfect!
Other Christmas Pastry Classes in Paris
If you want to take some pastry classes in English in Paris, Cook’n with Class offers a Buche de Noel class for a couple dates in December. La Cuisine also has a mini buche de Noel class throughout December. If you want to learn to make a traditional French Christmas meal, there are also private chefs who offer Paris market tours and cooking classes in their home! (We did this last year and it was fantastic!) Galeries Lafayette also offers a couple of different pastry classes in December, including two different buche de Noel classes. Added bonuses: the Christmas decor in the department store and the rooftop bar with an amazing view of Paris!
If you’re looking for other food and wine experiences in Paris, I’ve chronicled most of our experiences on my blog. I love trying new things, exploring different neighborhoods, and learning more about French cuisine.
Hotels near the Ritz Paris Escoffier
We LOVE December in Paris. It’s magical. We think the 1st arrondissement is especially magical. The Ritz Paris is located in the Place Vendôme, and it’s one of my favorite places to be in Paris in December. It’s a short walk to the the Tuileries Christmas Market, which is also lovely. That said, the Ritz Paris may not be in everyone’s budget. We have a couple of tried and true hotels nearby that we love. (I love staying near the Ritz Escoffier when I’m taking classes. It makes it easy to get my creations home!)
Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
We’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Paris A LOT, and I love to stay here. The Park Hyatt is perfect in December because they have a fantastic spa and sauna. I love the staff, and the rooms are SO LARGE for Paris. We’ve been able to use our Hyatt Suite Night Awards to secure better rooms in December, too. If you are a Hyatt loyalist or have Hyatt points to burn, the PH Paris is fantastic. It’s less than a 5 minute walk from the Ritz Paris Escoffier, and you can easily grab the metro from Opera or Madeleine.
If you don’t mind being further afield, we love Hotel du Louvre and the Hyatt Madeleine. They require less points than the Park Hyatt Paris. The Hyatt Etoile is straight down metro on Line 1 and offers some great Eiffel Tower view rooms, but it’s not my favorite location, especially at Christmastime!
Hotel Dress Code in the 8th Arrondissement
When I started taking week-long pastry classes at the Ritz, we needed to find a more cost effective hotel. We started staying at Hotel Dress Code, and it’s been absolutely fantastic. Hotel Dress Code is a small boutique hotel less than a 10 minute walk from the Ritz Paris. The rooms are well designed and colorful. It’s comfortable and the showers have fantastic water pressure. The staff is so kind and accommodating. We’ve taken my mom and my in-laws to stay here in Paris, and they enjoyed it, too. (Tom loves that there is a grocery store next door, too!)
Hotel de Seze in the 8th Arrondissement
This past summer, we spent a couple nights at Hotel de Seze, which is a couple blocks from Hotel Dress Code. It’s a perfectly comfortable hotel with modern rooms. The shower wasn’t as powerful as the one in Hotel Dress Code, but it worked well for us. Rooms are small, but they are pretty standard for Paris. (You will have to pay quite a bit more to get larger rooms in central Paris.) Hotel de Seze is pretty nice, especially at the price point. The staff is absolutely fantastic. They have a nice gym and a hammam in the basement, too.
More Ideas for Spending Christmas in Paris
At least once in your life, you should plan on spending the Christmas holidays in Paris. We’ve loved the ambiance of the holidays. Yes, it can get busy, but you can make it as magical as you want. There is no shortage of things to do Paris, from museums, to history, to food and wine experiences. We’ve loved every minute we’ve spent in Paris, and it has challenged us to be better travelers. We’ve fallen in love with some amazing restaurants in Paris. It’s made us try different French foods and regional specialities, and all of its expanded our travels throughout France. There’s plenty of France content on this blog to help you plan your perfect trip to Paris at Christmas.
Ultimately, even just wandering the streets of Paris at Christmastime should add a little magic to your life.
