Christmas log, step-by-step recipe with photos. Recipe: Chocolate roll "Christmas log" - in French What else can you add to your Christmas log?

Culinary historians claim that the “Christmas log” dessert is a distant echo of pagan ideas about nature spirits living in trees. Folk magic, which migrated into Catholic rituals, connected the Christmas embers of a log burning on the holiday with the protection of the home and family hearth from misfortunes. Be that as it may, magic and folklore are a thing of the past, and the Christmas roll is here on the table.

The traditional log cake is quite economical; it is a simple sponge roll with whipped cream cream. First, the biscuit is baked, then it is rolled into a roll and finished with a thick layer of cream, imitating the bark of a tree with its roughness, knots, curls, etc. On top of the log is decorated with “snow” (powdered sugar), “mushrooms” (meringue), and forest figurines flora and fauna from “berries” to “bunnies” (marzipan, chocolate, marshmallows). The cake is usually served at Christmas.

However, although the basic recipe is simple, “Log” requires artistic taste and flair from the performer, so there are as many variations of the dessert as there are artists, and the culinary process always turns into inspired magic and a real master class. I suggest you see this by making a complex, time-consuming, but luxurious Christmas cake with me.

Our work will consist of 6 stages:

It will take a little over 3 hours of active time. Plus the time of waiting until something cools down, and something reaches the condition in the refrigerator, “and in general.” It's a lot of time, I agree. But you will finally receive pleasure, joy from creativity and hitting a “high note”, a festive mood, blissful fatigue from an amazing result, a miracle in such quantities that time will simply cease to exist.

Ingredients for the Christmas Log

Shu

water 70 g
flour 40 g
butter 30 g
1 egg (large)
a pinch of salt and sugar

Filling

water 120 g
lemon juice 1 tbsp. spoon
sugar 2 teaspoons

Walnut sponge cake

egg 1 piece
protein 2 pieces
powdered sugar 65 g
walnuts 35 g
flour 30 g
baking powder 3 g
a pinch of salt

Mousse

milk chocolate 200 g
milk 150 g
gelatin 7 g

Ganache and moss

heavy cream 250 g
black bitter chocolate 200 g
egg 1 piece
glucose syrup or invert 30 g
flour 25 g
sugar 12 g
baking powder 5 g
green food coloring
powdered sugar
cocoa powder

Cooking time: active work about 3 hours + time for cooling, cooling, etc.
Output of the finished product: log 20-22 cm long and 8-9 in diameter

Making shu for the cake

water 70 g
flour 40 g
butter 30 g
egg 1 pc. (large)
a pinch of salt and sugar

From this amount of choux pastry you will get more shu than you will need for the cake, but it will be very inconvenient to prepare a smaller portion of the dough. There is no need to worry, because the amount of raspberry shu filling (see below) is calculated in such a way that you can fill them all and serve them as a small addition to the main dessert. Start preparing the choux pastry. Pour water into a small ladle and add butter. Add salt and sugar there. Place the ladle on the fire.

While the mixture is heating, sift the flour. As soon as the water and oil reach a boil, pour the sifted flour into the liquid, continuously and thoroughly mixing the dough.

At first the mass will be lumpy.

Keep the dough on the fire a little longer, continuing to knead it. This will create a thin crust at the bottom of the ladle and the dough will become smooth. Thanks to this drying of the dough, it will absorb more eggs and the shu will rise better.

Remove the dough from the heat and let cool to such a temperature that you can touch it with your hand.

Meanwhile, whisk and strain the egg through a sieve.

When the dough has cooled, start adding the egg little by little, kneading the mixture thoroughly. Don't rush to add the whole egg at once - add until the dough becomes plastic. Its “stretchy” texture is clearly visible in the photo.

Transfer the dough into a pastry bag or stationery file. If you have pastry cutters, use a round hole or French star tip with a diameter of 10-12mm. If there are no attachments, simply cut off the tip of the bag or file in such a way as to obtain a hole of the desired size.

Place small shu on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Be sure to leave space between the shu as they will expand during baking.

Bake the shu at a temperature of 220 degrees for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 and bake until golden brown. Remember that you cannot open the oven, otherwise the shu will settle. This is especially true for the first baking period, while the shu are growing.

Cool the finished shu.

Filling for shu

Ingredients needed to make raspberry filling:

water 120 g
raspberry puree 100 g (or 125-130 g raspberries, punched with a blender and rubbed through a sieve)
corn starch 2 tbsp. spoons
lemon juice 1 tbsp. spoon
sugar 2 teaspoons

Mix raspberry puree with sugar and starch. Pour water and lemon juice into the mixture.

Brew the filling over low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk. It should turn into a thick custard-like cream.

Transfer the filling to a small bowl and cover with cling film to prevent a crust from forming on the surface.

Let the filling cool and then transfer it to a piping bag.

Fill the previously baked shu for “Log” with raspberry filling.

Making nut biscuit

egg 1 piece
protein 2 pieces
powdered sugar 65 g
walnuts 35 g
flour 30 g
baking powder 3 g
a pinch of salt

Prepare a mixture of dry ingredients: in a blender, combine flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and nuts. Beat everything together until the nuts are thoroughly chopped. Grinding the nuts separately can cause them to release oil and clump together, but this method will leave the mixture dry.

Add dry ingredients to beaten eggs. Gently stir the dough until smooth with a silicone spatula, keeping it as fluffy as possible.

Spread the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake the biscuit at 200 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

In the meantime, you can prepare your roll cake pan. If there is no suitable shape, make it yourself from a plastic bottle by cutting off the bottom and neck. Cover one end with foil. Secure the foil with tape.

By this time the biscuit will be ready. It will just start to turn rosy. It is very important not to overcook it in the oven., otherwise it will become brittle.

Cut out a layer of biscuit that matches the size of your log mold. Do not remove the parchment from the biscuit.

Place the sponge cake inside the mold, rolling it into a tube while it is still warm and elastic. If the cake cools down, it will start to break apart.

Preparing chocolate mousse

milk chocolate 200 g
heavy cream (homemade or 33% for whipping) 200 g
milk 150 g
gelatin 7 g

First of all, pour 40 grams of cold water into the gelatin and let it swell.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a deep bowl. Add milk to the chocolate and place in the microwave or water bath. The chocolate should be completely melted, but be careful not to overheat it or it will curdle. The mass will be smooth.

Melt the swollen gelatin in the microwave or in a water bath. Pour the gelatin into the chocolate and stir the mixture. Let the mass cool slightly (to about 32-34 degrees).

Separately, whip the chilled cream into a fluffy mass. Carefully mix the cream with the chocolate mixture. You will get a delicate mousse.

Assembling the Christmas log

Start filling the cake. Pour 2 tbsp into the bottom. spoons of chocolate mousse and place the Christmas log preparation in the freezer for 5 minutes so that the mousse sets a little.

Then carefully place the shu with raspberry filling inside. Pour a little more mousse on top and place the cake in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes.

Repeat these steps until the entire cake is filled with mousse and raspberry choux.

Place the fully filled cake in the freezer for 1 hour. The cake itself is already ready, and all that remains is to complete the preparation with finishing.

Decorate the “Log” with ganache and “moss”

Ganache for the “bark” of the Christmas log

Prepare chocolate ganache for coating the cake. To do this, break the chocolate into pieces. Add cream to it and melt in a microwave oven or in a water bath, stirring the mixture.

The ganache should be smooth and shiny. Let the ganache cool to room temperature. This will thicken it and make it easy to work with.

Remove the cake log from the mold and remove the parchment from the sponge cake.

Coat the log with a thin layer of ganache and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

The log in this form is ready for finishing with the remaining ganache.

Using a small spoon, knife or pastry bag, apply the ganache until it looks like tree bark. Place the finished log in the refrigerator so that the ganache hardens completely. Mobilize your artistic abilities, make grooves and curls - how it can look “at the end” is clearly visible in the final photographs of the Christmas log.

Moss biscuit for decoration

Moss sponge cake is perfect for decorating this traditional cake. It is prepared using a siphon, but at home you can do without it. So, mix the egg, sugar and glucose syrup () in a deep bowl.

Beat the mixture until fluffy. Add coloring to the dough. Then add the sifted flour and baking powder.

Gently stir the dough until smooth.

Place the dough in a plastic cup, filling it one third full.

Bake the sponge cake in the microwave for 2 minutes. The biscuit will grow a lot, reaching the top of the cup.

Divide the biscuit into small parts and decorate the log with them, imitating thickets of moss.

In some places, sprinkle the log with cocoa powder to give it a matte finish, and use powdered sugar to create snowy deposits.

OK it's all over Now. Admire, cook, enjoy.

Christmas is undoubtedly the most wonderful holiday. These are gifts, family comfort, the light crackling of logs in the fireplace... The main holiday dessert in France is called Bûche de Noël- Christmas log

Together with baked goose and turkey, a sponge roll soaked in butter cream, dipped in chocolate glaze and decorated with confectionery mushrooms and candied fruits is sure to decorate the French holiday table on Christmas night. In our country, the Soviet “Fairy Tale” cake can be considered an approximate analogue of this dessert.

The sweet log was invented by confectioners not so long ago, in the middle of the 19th century, but the tradition of putting a decorated log on the table at Christmas is quite ancient. In medieval France, there was a custom after the festive mass to gather with the whole family by the fireplace. The head of the family read a prayer, after which it was supposed to light the Christmas log, usually the largest one. So it’s a stretch to call a huge trunk a log; it’s more like a log - it didn’t always fit entirely into the fireplace. In the south of France, fruit trees were more often used - plums, apples, and cherries. In other regions of the country - beech or oak; these plants were revered by the Celts and ancient Germans. The doors of houses were often left open on Christmas night so that the poor could come in and warm themselves by the fireplace.

The size of the trunk and the quality of the wood were of great importance: the tree had to smolder in the fireplace for at least three days, otherwise expect a fire. Often, before the start of the Christmas service, the fire in all hearths was specially extinguished in order to light it from a torch or candle brought from the church.

Each region of France had its own traditions of handling the Christmas log. In Poitou-Charentes, before lighting it, it was sprinkled with salt, in Provence it was poured with wine, in other regions it was sprinkled with holy water, coated with vegetable oil or honey. And sometimes they put bread and cheese on the log. In the 18th century, a tradition arose of placing a log on the table, decorating it with ribbons, dried fruits, and nuts as a gift to the baby Jesus.

The ashes from the “blessed” log were considered a panacea for troubles and illnesses. For fertility, it was scattered in gardens and fields. To protect livestock from diseases, they scattered it in the barn. According to some beliefs, ashes saved chicken coops from foxes, and people from the evil eye. Throwed into a well, it helped against snakes and gossip. It facilitated the transition to another world for the dying, and ensured salvation in the afterlife for the deceased. Stepping over an unlit log or sitting in front of it before it was lit in the fireplace was considered a bad omen and promised illness.

The folk custom of decorating a Christmas log survived several French revolutions, but gave way under the pressure of technological progress. In the middle of the 19th century, the first gas stoves appeared. By the middle of the 20th century, the tradition of lighting a Christmas log had practically disappeared. And it was at this time that a dessert appeared on the tables of the French, pieces of which looked like wood cuts.

Interview

Regis Trigel

A native of Paris, the chef of the Moscow brasserie “Most” talks about the Christmas traditions of France.

What do the French eat for Christmas?

In Paris, the festive table should include foie gras and turkey with chestnuts. And in Alsace they bake kouglof - a brioche-like bun. In the Alps, a capon, a specially fattened rooster, is fried. In Provence, it is customary to serve 13 different desserts - in honor of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. But baked goose or turkey and a log for dessert are a must everywhere.

Is it customary to make this dessert yourself or buy it?

If the housewife has time, she will cook it herself. My mother, for example, only bakes logs herself. Even if I come home for Christmas, he won’t let me do it. It is better to prepare the log on the eve of the holiday so that the biscuit is well soaked in cream. Well, those who don’t want to or don’t know how to bake buy dessert.

Where is the best Christmas log sold in Paris?

They are all good, you can buy them literally on every corner, in any bakery or pastry shop. But I would especially recommend a small family store - bakery Stohrer. It has existed in Paris since 1730 and is still popular today. They try not to change either the traditional recipes or the interior, so they always have queues. Take a look there, you won't regret it.

History has not preserved either the exact date of the sweet invention or the name of the author. According to one version, it was a Parisian pastry chef from Saint-Germain-des-Prés who invented the dessert in 1834. According to another, the birthplace of the Christmas log is Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, and the date of birth is 1860. There is also an opinion that the dessert was invented in 1898 by Pierre Lacam, who was once the pastry chef of Charles III, Prince of Monaco. All we can say for sure is that this did not happen earlier than the middle of the 19th century, when the usual sponge roll filled with fruit jam gained popularity. It was he who became the prototype of the Christmas dessert, in which jam replaced the more expensive buttercream as a filling. To contrast with the biscuit, cocoa is usually added to it; in Corsica, chestnuts are added. The top of the roll is generously poured with chocolate glaze, and everyone chooses their own decoration - from simple candied fruits to figurines of Santa, elves or gnomes.

Few people now remember about the ancient tradition and folk beliefs. But this doesn’t stop you from making a wish after receiving your portion of dessert. Any miracles are possible at Christmas!

Recipe

Christmas log

Servings: 6–8

Cooking time: 30 minutes

For the biscuit

Eggs - 3 pcs.; granulated sugar - 300 g; flour - 50 g; water - 50 ml;
sugar syrup - 100 ml (for 50 ml of water 50 g of sugar)

For cream

Eggs - 3 pcs.; sugar - 70 g; vanilla sugar - 1 g; butter - 250 g; vanilla - 1 pod;
lemon zest - 10 g; lime zest - 10 g; orange zest - 10 g;
cocoa - 6 g; praline - 50 g

For pralines

Hazelnuts - 50 g; powdered sugar - 20 g

For decoration

Small meringues - 5 pcs.; strawberries - 3 pcs.; biscuit - 20 g; food flowers

1 For the biscuit beat eggs and sugar until fluffy white mass, add flour and water, mix with hands. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and roll out the dough onto it in an even layer. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 9 minutes. Place the biscuit on a waffle towel and cool for 2-3 minutes. Grease with sugar syrup and roll into a roll using a towel, cool at room temperature.

2 For cream Whisk the yolks, heat the sugar and water and pour into the yolks, continuing to whisk. Add butter at room temperature and beat until smooth. Remove the vanilla seeds from the pod and add them to the cream. Divide the cream into three parts, add citrus zest to one, and praline and cocoa to the other two, respectively. For the praline, fry the hazelnuts in a dry, heated frying pan. Place in a blender, add powdered sugar, and puree until smooth.

3 Unroll the biscuit on cling film and brush with citrus cream. Roll again using film, secure the edges. Place in the refrigerator for a day or two. Cut the edge at an oblique angle, decorate with praline and cocoa cream.

4 Decorate with green sponge cake, strawberries, meringues and edible flowers.

Photos: Grigory Polyakovsky

You will find a complete list of 155 wonders that you need to see with your own eyes in the anniversary, December issue of Around the World magazine.

We are preparing a biscuit. We separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Beat the whites to soft peaks, add half the sugar - gradually, 2 tbsp at a time. at a time - and beat until stiff peaks form (steep foam).

Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar + vanilla sugar until the mixture lightens and increases in volume.

Add flour to the yolk mixture and beat with a mixer at medium speed.

Carefully combine the yolk mixture with the whipped whites in 2 additions.

Cover a baking tray (I have 40*35) with foil, pour out the dough, and level it out. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes - the biscuit should turn golden.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the sponge cake over onto a clean kitchen towel, remove the foil and roll the sponge cake together with the towel into a roll, starting from the wide side. Place on a wire rack and let cool completely.

While the biscuit is cooling, prepare the cream. For the buttercream, melt the chocolate and cool to room temperature. Beat it together with room temperature butter, powder and milk until smooth and homogeneous. Set aside.

Preparing butter cream. Whip cream with powdered sugar and cocoa.

Carefully unroll the cooled roll and remove the towel. Spread the sponge cake with chocolate cream, leaving a couple of centimeters at each end ungreased.

Roll again. From each end diagonally cut a piece of the roll about 5-7 cm long.

Before I take on the culinary instructions, I would like to talk a little about the tradition of baking Christmas logs in European countries.

It is wrong to think that the French invented everything, as they like to attribute everything to themselves as good, and it is wrong to think that tradition is closely connected with religion. It all started with Pagan Sun worship in the Scandinavian countries.

Burning a special log is probably the oldest tradition of Christmas. It started before the first Christmas. The ceremonial burning of the log meant that there was no need to work while the log was burning. Family, friends and neighbors gathered together to pass the time with songs, stories, dances and romances.

At first, the burning of logs took place on the winter solstice. In Scandinavia, a huge log was lit a few weeks before the winter solstice, and burned for a couple of weeks after that. It was the darkest time of the year, and therefore people celebrated the solstice, after which the days became longer. There were many rituals and ceremonies associated with the log; it marked the rebirth of the Sun. The tradition spread over time throughout ancient Europe.

Only in the fourth century AD, when Pope Julius I decided to celebrate Christmas on the day around the winter solstice, the tradition of burning a log was preserved, but the fire had already become a symbol not of the Sun, but of Jesus Christ. On Christmas Eve, a large log was brought into the house. They lit it in the stove or fireplace, and sang songs and stories. The children were dancing. The log was never allowed to burn completely; the remains were kept in the house until the following year. The log brought good luck.

The French were probably the first to bake the Christmas log. They first burned a log of wood, but when large open fireplaces began to disappear in France, the tradition moved to the table. In France they started baking a log-like roll called “Bûche de Noël”. Over time, other European countries began to bake Christmas logs. In English-speaking countries, such a log is called “Yule log”.

Now that you know the history of this dessert, it will probably become a little special. There are logs based on both chocolate biscuit and regular ones. I love chocolate more, so that’s how I bake it.

It's actually very easy to do. There is no need to beat the whites and yolks separately. The filling and decoration are extremely simple. There are only a few nuances, and here are some instructions:

1. Do not overbake the roll. Bake exactly as long as indicated in the recipe. Otherwise, it will all break, crumble, and there will be no roll.

2. Do not let the cake cool completely before rolling. You definitely need to roll it when the cake is warm.

3. When you add the filling, follow the time interval specified in the recipe. If you place whipped cream on warm chocolate, the cream will start to drip. But when the chocolate has completely cooled down and hardened, then it will be difficult to roll the roll again.

4. And for God’s sake, don’t worry if the cake cracks in some place. Chocolate will hide all sins :-)

That's all! To make baking more interesting and in the right mood, play some Christmas songs for yourself! :-)

For the crust:

4 eggs
100 grams of powdered sugar
65 grams flour
1 tsp baking powder
40 grams cocoa

For filling and decoration:

300 grams dark chocolate
450 ml heavy cream (min. 30% fat), cool
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
4 tbsp apricot jam
½ pomegranate seeds for garnish

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚ C.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until white and double in size.

3. Add cocoa, baking powder and flour to the eggs while sifting. To stir thoroughly.

4. Line a wide baking dish with baking paper (mine is 20x27 cm). You don’t have to pour the dough into the mold, but carefully spread it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, giving it a square shape. Then the cake will be a little thinner. The dough is not too thin and will not spread excessively.

5. Pour the dough into the mold (or onto a baking sheet).

Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. If you bake on a baking sheet, then 6-8 minutes. It is very important!! If you overbake the crust, you won’t be able to twist it, it will break!

6. Remove the cake from the oven, let cool for 2-3 minutes, and carefully remove from the pan and place on a flat surface.

Very carefully, slowly, while the cake is warm, using parchment, roll the cake into a roll as shown in the photo. Place a weight that is not too heavy on top. Leave the cake to cool like this.

8. Melt the chocolate in a water bath.

Assembly:

Carefully unroll the cooled crust. Brush the inside surface with apricot jam. Wait 2 minutes for the jam to penetrate deeper into the crust.

Spoon ¼ of the melted chocolate onto the crust and spread to create a thin layer of chocolate. Wait another 2 minutes for the chocolate to cool slightly.

Place whipped cream on top of the chocolate, leaving 6-8 cm of free edge on each side.

Carefully roll the roll, using parchment paper to help you. Carefully cut the edges of the roll at a bias. Place one such cut cut side down on the top of the roll. (This will give the effect of cutting a branch on a log.

This is the first Christmas log in my life and quite successful, by the way. The recipe contains available ingredients and is quite simple to prepare. But! The recipe calls for two creams, No. 1 for the filling, No. 2 oil for external decoration. We didn’t like cream No. 1 at all, so I advise you to make twice as much cream No. 2 and use only it both inside and outside, although someone may disagree with me. It is better to prepare the Christmas log 1-2 days before serving.

“Christmas log” or “Yule log” is a traditional Christmas log-shaped cake, common in France and former French colonies. Essentially, this is a type of roll. The custom of baking this cake dates back to the medieval custom of burning the Christmas log, which, in turn, goes back to pagan times, when the burning of the Yule log marked the arrival of the winter solstice.

Most often it is made from sponge dough in such a way that the cut of the cake resembles the cut of a tree trunk, and the cream is spread so that it looks like the bark of a tree. Often decorated with powdered sugar, which symbolizes snow, as well as figurines of mushrooms (made from marzipan) and berries. (Wikipedia)

For 1 log:

Biscuit:

4 eggs
2 tbsp. with flour top
2 tbsp. with potato starch top
3 tbsp. Sahara
1 tsp vanilla sugar

Cream No. 1 (for filling):

0.5 l milk
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
30 g butter
3 tbsp. Sahara
3 tbsp. starch
salt on the tip of a knife
1/2 tsp. vanilla sugar
20 g dark chocolate

Cream No. 2:

50 ml milk
100 g powdered sugar
125 g butter at room temperature
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar

For decoration:

1-2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
strainer
fork

For the sponge cake, in a deep bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar at high speed for 5-10 minutes to get a light and fluffy mass (like foam).

Mix flour and starch, carefully add into egg-sugar foam, mix gently until smooth.

Pour the dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and place in the oven, preheated to 160-180 degrees, for about 15 minutes.

Prepare a clean towel and remove the finished biscuit from the oven. As always, check for doneness with a toothpick by inserting it into the middle; if it comes out dry, it’s ready.

Carefully turn the cake over onto a towel.

Slowly and without nervousness, remove the baking paper from the sponge cake.

Roll the still warm sponge cake into a roll using a towel, which should be between the layers of the sponge cake. Let cool.

For cream No. 1, you need to heat 300 ml of milk in a ladle or saucepan, add salt, sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa and butter. Mix.

Over medium heat, bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat. Dilute the starch in the remaining 200 ml of milk and pour it all in a thin stream into the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.

Return the saucepan to low heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Let this mixture simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens.

Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread cream No. 1 over its entire surface, scatter grated dark chocolate evenly on top (on a coarse or fine grater - it doesn’t matter), press down slightly.

Roll the roll without the help of a towel. Place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Now you need to carefully trim the edges of the roll and cut off 1/3 or 1/4 of the roll at an angle of 45 degrees. Apply this small cut part with a sharp edge (the one that was cut at 45 degrees) to the side of the main roll. A little later we will coat and “glue” it with butter cream.

For cream No. 2, bring the milk to a boil and cool to room temperature. Place butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa powder in a bowl and pour in milk.

Beat at minimum speed for 5 minutes until a beautiful, soft and fluffy cream is obtained.

First, lubricate the edge of our “knot”, with which it will be attached to the main roll. Place it on the side of the roll and press slightly. Coat the cracks with cream.

Now coat the entire roll with cream, except for its cuts, so that it looks more like a cut of a log.

We arm ourselves with a fork and move it along the log in wave-like movements. It is we who create a semblance of bark.

Sift a little cocoa through a sieve onto our log.

Now dust it a little with powdered sugar, as if it were snow.

That's it, the magical Christmas log is ready! All that remains is to put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until the next day and treat it to your family and friends!

Bon appetit!

Z.Y.: the cake is on a cardboard wrapped in cling film because it was taken to friends; it was more convenient for the box, because transferring the finished cake from dish to dish is extremely inconvenient.