- 10
- 80 mins
- 92 mins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sifted cake flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1.4 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- sifted powdered sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- So-Chocolate Buttercream (see recipe below)
- candied flowers and leaves, optional
- 2 tbsp. sifted powdered sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Grease 15 x 10" jelly-roll pan. Line pan with waxed paper. Generously grease waced paper. Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl, combine cake flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, soda and salt. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and the 1 tsp. vanilla with electric mixer on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating 2 minutes on high to dissolve sugar.
Sprinkle flour mixture, one third at a time, over egg mixture and use a large rubber spatual to gently fold until mixed.
Evenly spread batter in the prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375 degrees about 12 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger.
Remove the cake from the oven. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 3 minutes. Generously sprinkle the powdered sugar over a clean kitchne towel that is slightly larger than the cake. Invert pan and turn cake upside down onto the towel. Carefully remove waxed paper by peeling it off the cake; discard.
While cake is warm, roll up cake and towel, starting from one of the cakes short sides. (It's important to roll the cake while warm to avoid cracking). Cool rolled cake on a wire rack.
Gently unroll cake, remove towel. In a chilled medium mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Beat with chilled beaters on an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. With a thin metal spatula, spread the whipped cream filling on the cake to within 1" of teh edges.
Carefully roll up cake (without the towel) starting from a short side. Place on serving platter, seam side down, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove cake from refrigerator. With a serrated knife, diagonally cut off a 3" slice form one end of cake. Place the diagonally cut edge of piece against side of longer roll on the serving plate. This forms a branch on the log.
Frost the entire cake with So-Chocolate Buttercream, carefully cementing limb to trunk with buttercream. Chill again until buttercream firsm, if necessary. With the tines of a table fork, crate a pattern of rings on the cut ends of the roll, and bark on the rest of the tree. Place the candied flowers and leaves on the bark in a random pattern, if you like. Using a sieve, gently dust the cake with 2 tbsp. powdered sugar to crate a sprinkling of snow. Chill cake until ready to serve.
SO-CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM:
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1 to 2 tbsp. instant coffee crystals
1 tbsp. cognac, orange liqueur, creme de cassis or water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 1" pieces
In a food processor with metal blade, combine the melted chocolates and the sugar, if using. Add the egg product, espresso. cognac and vanilla. Cover and process with 4 or 5 on/off turns.
With the machine running, add butter, one piece at a time, through feed tube. Process until mixture is smooth. If necessary, refrigerate until spreading consistency. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
Electric Mixer Directions: In a medium mixing bowl, combine chocolates, sugar (if using), egg product, edpresso, cognac and vanilla. Beat smooth. Gradually add butter, beating until fluffy. (Note: this method will give a lighter, fluffier frosting).