Forest of Chocolate
DESSERTS BY RITA SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER WITH ITS TRADITIONAL FRENCH CHRISTMAS CAKE RESEMBLING A WOODEN LOG
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
FILLING INGREDIENTS:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
CHOCOLATE FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
½ cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup cocoa
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup (plus) heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a 15x10x1-inch jellyroll pan; line with wax paper and grease lightly. Combine first three ingredients; beat at medium speed, gradually adding 3/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick and lightly colored.
Fold in flour, cocoa and vanilla. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake in oven for 13 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pushed.
Sift 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a 15×10-inch rectangle linen towel. Turn cake out onto sugar; remove wax paper from cake.
Starting with short end, carefully roll cake and towel. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack, seam-side down. Unroll and remove towel.
Spread with whipped cream and reroll. Chill for several hours.
FILLING:
Whip all ingredients together in a chilled bowl until thick.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
Melt butter, stir in cocoa and cool. Add powdered sugar alternatively with heavy whipping cream, then vanilla. Beat until smooth, then spread evenly over cake, marking with tines of a fork to resemble the bark of a tree. Refrigerate until time to serve.