These Little Debbie Snack Cakes Make The Perfect Mini Yule Logs

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A Yule log is a holiday tradition that originated from Scandinavian and German pagan festivals. People would bring a large log into the home and light it on Christmas Eve. It would then be relit every day after until January 5, or Twelfth Night. By the 1700s, this tradition had died out, but a new one was born: the Yule log dessert. Also called a bûche de Noël, this classic holiday treat was created in France. It consists of a sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and rolled up into a log shape. The exterior is covered in chocolate frosting, and branches and decorations are added to make it look like a log.

Whether you make your own Yule log cake every year or are just learning about this tradition, it's easy to modernize it by transforming Little Debbie snack cakes into a no-bake dessert. To turn these cakes into mini Yule logs, you'll need a package of Swiss Rolls. While there is a difference between Swiss rolls and yule log cake, these small treats are perfect for making mini logs. You'll also need vanilla or chocolate frosting, sprinkles, powdered sugar, and candy decorations like M&Ms, Dots, Tootsie Rolls, and jelly beans.

Cut the ends off of each Swiss roll, spread the top with frosting, and use a fork to add texture to make it look like a log. Then use a small amount of frosting to add candy decorations to each log. This adorable, single-serving dessert doesn't require cutting and serving and offers endless opportunities for creative variations. It's sure to be the star of your holiday dinner, potluck, or work party.

There are many ways to add your own flair to these cute mini desserts. Use frosting to make the rolls look more log-like or to adhere decorations to the top. If you don't want to use frosting, you can microwave the Swiss rolls for about 10 seconds to soften the exterior chocolate coating. Then use a fork or toothpick to add texture to the exterior so that it looks like a log.

Tootsie Rolls can be cut into small pieces to create branches on the log. If you have trouble cutting them, microwave them for a few seconds to soften the chocolate. Powdered sugar or white pearl sugar or sanding sugar can be used for snow. Dots and jelly beans can be cut into smaller pieces and used as trees, leaves, berries, or mushrooms.

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can create some solid chocolate forest animals to add to each log. Buy some food-safe silicone chocolate molds from Amazon. Make sure to choose ones that are small enough to fit comfortably on top of your Swiss rolls, like this Caregene silicone chocolate animal mold. Melt some chopped baking chocolate or chocolate melts, and fill the molds to the top using pastry bags, an eyedropper, or a cream injector. Wipe excess chocolate away from the sides of each mold, and then refrigerate the tray for about 20 minutes. Release the chocolates from the mold, and use a small dab of frosting or melted chocolate to attach them to the Swiss rolls.