by The Webmaster
Serves: 10-12 people.
Preparation time: 50 minutes + 12 minute Bake Time.
For The Cake:
For The Filling:
For The Frosting:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the 4 Egg Whites in a large bowl, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line a greased 15"x10"x1" baking pan with parchment paper, grease the paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the 4 Egg Yolks on high speed with and electric beater for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in ⅓ cup of Sugar.
Sift the Flour, Baking Cocoa, Baking Powder and Salt together twice. Gradually add the Flour mixture to the Yolk mixture and mix well. The Batter will be very thick.
With clean beaters, beat the Egg Whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining Sugar, a little at a time, on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold this into the Batter. Spread this mix evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake about 10-12 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched with the side of a knife. Remove from the oven and cool the Cake for 5 minutes. Dust a flat kitchen towel with Cocoa Powder. Turn the Cake onto the dusted towel. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Let cool 5 more minutes. Roll up the Cake in the towel, (Jelly-Roll Style) so the 10" length is the middle of the roll and the 15" length is the spiral outside. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Filling, with clean beaters, beat the Whipping Cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 T. of Sugar and the Almond Extract beating until stiff peaks form. Unroll the Cake, spread the Filling inside to within 1" of the side edges. Roll it up again.
For the Frosting, in a large bowl with clean beaters, add the Butter and Confectioners' Sugar and beat 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the Chocolate, Milk and Vanilla Extract until smooth. Frost the Log using a metal spatula to create a bark-like effect. If desired, dust with additional Confectioners' Sugar and decorate with Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary Sprigs if available. Slice across the Log, 1" thick, and serve showing the spiral.
”Chocolate” - It's a food made from roasted and ground Cocoa Beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavor other foods. Cocoa Beans, mostly from West Africa, are the processed seeds of the Cacao Tree. They are usually fermented to develop the flavor, then dried, cleaned, and roasted. This "Buche de Noel" is a rolled sponge cake dating back to the 19th century in France. Chocolate has a reputation of being a mood enhancer, an aphrodisiac, a relaxant and a stimulant. During the 1600s, the Vatican vacillated between banning and promoting the consumption of Chocolate.
