Buche De Noel

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 11×17 jelly roll pan with parchment.

Cake:

• In large mixing bowl beat the eggs with whisk attachment until thick and pale in color.
• Add in the sugar and vanilla, mix until well combined and mixture leaves a trail in the bowl.
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into the batter. Batter will start out streaky, continue folding until mixture is completely combined.
• Mix the melted butter and milk in a bowl.
• With mixer on low, slowly add the butter and milk mixture to the cake batter. Mix until just combined.
• Pour batter (batter is pourable) into prepared pan and spread with spatula so batter is evenly spread corner to corner.
• Bake until center of the cake springs back when gently pushed on – about 10 – 12 minutes.
• Let cake cool for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake by gently lifting up on the parchment at the corners.
• Using the parchment under the cake, start rolling the cake up. Roll up from the long side, not the short side. This will give enough length to cut a side branch and top branch.
• Place rolled up cake, seam side down, onto a cooling rack and cool completely, about 60-90 minutes. (Do NOT cool overnight or cake will be too stiff and will break when you try to unroll it.)

Filling:

• Place egg whites and sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk on low until warm and sugar has dissolved. This can be tested by rubbing a bit of egg white mixture between your fingers, if it is smooth with no sugar granuals, it is ready.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Once egg white mixture is at room temperature pour into mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
• On low speed, add in the butter, one stick at a time. Move mixer speed up to med-high and mix until buttercream forms. This may take a few minutes. It may look curdled for a minute, just keep mixing.
• Once buttercream is formed, add in the vanilla and mix to combine.

Ganache Frosting:

• Place chocolate and heavy cream in a small saucepan.
• Heat on low until mixture begins to melt. Once heavy cream is hot (but not boiling) remove from heat and stir with spatula.
• Stir in small circular motions, as ganache begins to form expand your stirring circles to the outer edge of the pan. Stir until completely combined and ganache is formed.

Mushrooms:

• For the stems, break pretzels into two pieces each.
• With sharp pairing knife, warm the blade under hot water and wipe dry. In a gentle sawing motion, cut the truffles in half.
• The center of the Lindt truffle is soft ganache, so push the pretzel into the ganache to form the stem.
• Set aside. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.

Assembly:

• Unroll cake. Spread filling onto the cake. Leave a 1/2 inch border on the outer edges as filling will be pressed to the edges as the cake is rolled back up.
• Roll cake back up without the parchment paper. Make sure it is set seam side down. Chill completely, about 2 hours minimum.
• Once cake is chilled, place rolled cake unto platter. Cut one inch off each end of the rolled cake to give a clean look to each end.
• Cut a 4" piece at a 45° angle and position the angled edge against the side of the cake log to make a side branch. If there is a gap between the two rolls, fill with left over buttercream filling.
• Cut off the pointed edge, cut back about 2 inches and place this piece on top of the large cake roll to be your top branch.
• Pour warm (not hot) ganache over the log and spread into place with off-set spatula. To coat the top branch, put ganache on spatula and spread in upward swipes until covered.
• Refridgerate 45 minutes to set the ganache.
• Arrange mushrooms around the Buche De Noel.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make it look like snow.
• Arrange sugared cranberries and orange peels around the cake as desired.
• Serve at room temperature.
• Store in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate.