Bûche de Noël

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a heavy jelly-roll sheet pan (10x15-inch) with parchment paper or grease and floured foil. Make sure the parchment paper or foil sticks up at least an inch above the sides of the pan on all sides. You’ll use the parchment paper later to lift the cake out of the pan and roll it up.

In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed until very thick and lemon-colored. (If eggs are not beaten enough, cake will be heavy and rubbery.) Gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in water and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Add dry ingredients to set ingredients gradually, beating just until smooth. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan so it’s spread evenly and and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when toughed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and immediately loosen cake lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and set onto the counter.

While the cake is hot, use the parchment paper the cake was baked in and start at the shorter end of the cake to slowly roll the cake up. Set the cake aside to cool completely, at least 30 minutes

When the cake has cooled and is ready to be filled, make the filling. See below instructions for filling.
 

Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Whip on high speed until soft peaks form.

Unroll cooled cake very gently. If needed, use an offset spatula to releae the cake as you unroll.

Spread filling evenly over the unrolled cake, being generous at edges. Then roll it back up without the parchment paper.

Wrap it up in plastic wrap with the seam side down and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

Dust cake with additional powdered sugar, if desired.

Note: For a fancier cake, you could frost with chocolate ganache. Use a fork to drawn lines down the length of the “log” to make it look more textured like bark.