Yule Logs or Bûche de Noël as they are known in Quebec, are often very elaborately decorated, but they are just as tasty with simple decoration. You will need to make a cake, a buttercream icing and a whipped cream filling, plus a few garnish tips (provided).

Chocolate Sponge Cake

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (125 mL)
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (125 mL)
1/4 tsp baking powder (1 mL)
1/4 tsp salt (1 mL)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (1 mL)
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided (175 mL)
2 tbsp water (25 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
Icing sugar
Coffee Liqueur or Rum (2 tbsp/25 mL)

Whipped Cream Filling
Mocha Buttercream Icing
Meringue mushrooms, optional
Candied spearmint candies and small red candy balls, optional

Cake

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 15 x 10 inch (30 x 20 cm) jelly roll pan with Chefs Select Parchment Paper.

In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Carefully separate eggs. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in large deep bowl of electric mixer. Beat at high speed until egg whites have formed soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup (50 mL) sugar, beating until whites hold stiff peaks; set aside. Using same beater(s) (no need to wash it/them) beat egg yolks in another bowl with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar until thick and pale coloured, about 2 minutes at high speed. Beat in water and vanilla.

Add flour mixture and stir in, with mixer at very low speed, just until combined. Stir about one-quarter of beaten egg whites to yolk-flour mixture to lighten it, then add yolk mixture to whites and fold together gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into lined pan and spread evenly.

Bake 20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Place on wire rack to cool a few minutes. Loosen edges of cake with spatula, then invert cake onto a clean tea towel sprinkled with icing sugar. Remove pan, peel parchment paper off cake. With long edge closest to you, gently roll warm cake up in towel. Place on wire rack and let cool completely. Make Mocha Buttercream Icing and Whipped Cream Filling.

Mocha Buttercream Icing

In bowl, combine 1/4 cup (50 mL) softened butter, 2 oz (60 g) melted unsweetened chocolate, 2 cups (500 mL) sifted icing sugar, 2 tbsp (25 mL) cold, strong coffee and 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla. Beat until smooth. Adjust consistency with more icing sugar or more cold coffee (or milk).

Whipped Cream Filling

With electric mixer, whip 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup (50 mL) icing sugar and beat just until thick enough to spread (don't overbeat). Fold in 1/4 tsp (1 mL) vanilla.

Assembly

Gently unroll cake and drizzle with 2 tbsp (25 mL) coffee liqueur or rum. Spread with Whipped Cream Filling and gently roll up. With serrated knife, trim a little off both ends (you can eat these), then cut off one end on an angle a few inches from the end. Place partway up cake (see photo), to make a branch on your log. Arrange on serving plate. Place strips of Chefs Select Parchment Paper under edge of cake to keep plate clean of icing.

Take a deep breath, now comes the fun part.

Spread outside of log with Mocha Buttercream Icing to look like bark. Remove parchment paper strips. Decorate cake with spearmint candies and small red candy balls for holly, and meringue mushrooms, if desired. Using a small sieve, sprinkle icing sugar over all to resemble snow. Makes 12 - 16 servings.

Note: If not serving immediately, refrigerate, but remove from fridge about 10 minutes before serving to warm up a little.

Meringue Mushrooms

You can also use meringue powder if you prefer.
2 eggs whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (1 mL)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (125 mL)
1/4 tsp vanilla (1 mL)
Melted chocolate
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 225°F (140°C). Line a cookie sheet with Chefs Select Parchment Paper.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until glossy peaks form. Fold in vanilla.

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a 1/2 inch (1 cm) plain tip, with some or all of mixture (depends on the size of your piping bag), pipe half the mixture to form small rounds for mushrooms caps on cookie sheet. Use remaining mixture to make mushroom stems resembling little triangles.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until crisp. Let pan cool on wire rack. Makes enough for about 25 mushrooms (depending on size).

To put mushrooms together, with small knife, scrape a little hole in bottom of mushroom cap. Dip top of mushrooms stem in melted chocolate and put together. Dust caps with a little cocoa and arrange on plate.