Bûche de Noël II

Description
French Yule log

Almond sponge sheet

 * 3 egg yolks
 * ½ cup granulated sugar
 * 1 medium orange, grated rind and juice
 * ¾ cup almonds, blanched and ground with 3 tbsp granulated sugar
 * ¼ tsp almond extract
 * ½ cup cake flour
 * 3 egg whites
 * 3 tbsp granulated sugar
 * confectioner's sugar, in a sifter

Meringue base

 * 3 large egg whites
 * pinch salt
 * ¼ tsp cream of tartar, scant
 * 1⅓ cup granulated sugar

Filling base

 * 12 oz semisweet baker's chocolate melted with ⅓ cup strong coffee
 * 1 tbsp vanilla extract
 * 3 tbsp Jamaican dark rum
 * 4 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened

Filling

 * 4 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened

Decoration

 * 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, in a tea strainer
 * confectioner's sugar, in a sifter

Spun caramel veil

 * 1 cup granulated sugar
 * 3 tbsp white corn syrup

Special equipment suggested

 * 1) A jelly-roll pan about 11 by 17 inches; butter, wax paper, and flour for the pan; an electric blender or food processor for the almonds.
 * 2) A table-model electric mixer for the meringue.
 * 3) A pastry bag with ⅜-inch tube opening and a separate tube with l/8-inch opening, for the mushrooms.
 * 4) A buttered and floured no-stick pas try sheet for the mushrooms.
 * 5) A serving board to hold the log plenty of wax paper.
 * 6) An oiled broom handle suspended between 2 chair backs and newspapers on the floor, for the caramel.

The orange/almond sponge sheet / preparing the pan

 * 1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
 * 2) Line the jelly-roll pan with buttered wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang at each end.
 * 3) Roll flour in the pan and shake out excess.
 * 4) The cake batter.
 * 5) Using a wire whisk or hand-held electric mixer, beat the 3 egg yolks in a 3-quart bowl, gradually sprinkling in the ½ cup of sugar.
 * 6) When the mixture is thick and pale yellow, beat in the grated orange rind and juice, the almonds, and the almond extract.
 * 7) Slowly sift in the flour, while blending with the whisk.
 * 8) In a very clean separate bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks; sprinkle in the 3 tbsp of sugar and continue beating to form stiff, shining peaks.
 * 9) Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the batter; delicately fold in the rest.
 * 10) baking the jelly roll.
 * 11) Immediately turn the batter into the prepared pan; bang it lightly but firmly on your work surface to settle it, and place it at once in the middle level of the preheated 375 degree oven.
 * 12) Bake about 10 minutes, until it has very lightly colored and the top is springy-do not overbake or the cake will crack when you roll it up.
 * 13) Cooling and storing.
 * 14) Sprinkle the top of the cake with a 1/16 inch layer of confectioner"s sugar; cover with a sheet of wax paper and a lightly dampened towel.
 * 15) Reverse onto a tray or baking sheet.
 * 16) Then whlle the cake is still warm, holding an end of the wax paper, lift off the jelly-roll pan.
 * 17) Carefully peel the wax paper off the cake.
 * 18) Sift another 1/16-inch layer of sugar over the cake and roll it up in the damp towel; place in a plastic bag to keep it from drying out, and refrigerate.
 * 19) The cake must be cold before you fill and frost it.
 * 20) Ahead-of-time note: the sponge sheet will keep nicely 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator or you may freeze it for several weeks—but to prevent its breaking, be sure to let it defrost completely before unrolling it.

The meringue base-Italian meringue

 * 1) Beat the egg whites in the electric mixer until foaming throughout; add the salt and cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks are formed.
 * 2) Turn mixer speed to slow.
 * 3) In a small saucepan bring the sugar and ½ cup water to the simmer, remove from heat, and swirl the pan until the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid is perfectly clear.
 * 4) Cover the pan tightly and boil to the soft-ball stage (238°F).
 * 5) Using moderately slow speed, gradually whip the hot syrup into the egg whites; increase speed to fast and continue at high speed for 5 minutes, until egg whites form stiff shining peaks and have completely cooled.
 * 6) Plan to use the meringue promptly.

Meringue mushrooms

 * 1) Preheat the oven to 200°F.
 * 2) Scoop a quarter of the meringue into the pastry bag and squeeze out 8 to 10 half-inch domes on the pastry sheet, to serve as mushroom caps.
 * 3) Hold the ⅛-inch tube over the end of the pastry bag and squeeze out 8 to 10 conical shapes ¾ inch high, for the stems.
 * 4) Bake about 1 hour in the middle level of the oven, until the meringues push easily off the pastry sheet-they should color no more than a darkish cream.
 * 5) Return unused meringue to the main mixture.
 * 6) Ahead-of-time note: meringues may be made in advance and frozen.

The filling and frosting

 * 1) Beat the smoothly melted chocolate into the meringue, along with the vanilla, rum, and soft butter.
 * 2) Remove two-thirds of the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate; this is the frosting.
 * 3) Beat the additional half stick of soft butter into the remaining meringue this is the filling.

Filling the cake

 * 1) Unroll the sponge sheet and slice a quarter inch off the long sides so that the cake will roll easily.
 * 2) Spread the filling over the top of the sheet.
 * 3) Roll it up from one of the small ends and you have made the log shape.
 * 4) Neatly slice a narrow slanting piece from each end of the log.
 * 5) With a small knife dig a hole in an upper side of the log and insert a piece of the scrap to simulate a bump or a branch.
 * 6) Place the log seam-side down on the serving board and slip double sheets of wax paper under the edge of each side and the two ends-to catch frosting spills.

Frosting the log

 * 1) Beat 2 or more spoonfuls of sifted cocoa into the frosting mixture to make it a spreadable consistency.
 * 2) Reserve 2 spoonfuls of frosting for the mushrooms.
 * 3) Leaving the two ends free, frost the cake using a flexible metal spatula, then scumble it with the spatula and a fork to give it a rough bark-like look.
 * 4) Ahead-of-time note:.
 * 5) Refrigerate the log if you are not continuing; it will keep nicely for a day-if you can find a non-mashing cover for it.

Final decorations, just before serving the mushrooms

 * 1) With a small knife, pierce a hole in the bottom of each meringue mushroom cap, insert a bit of the frosting (or softened butter) into the hole and then the pointed end of a meringue stem.
 * 2) Arrange the mushrooms in tasteful clusters upon the log and sprinkle the log with a dusting of confectioner"s sugar to give a snowy effect.
 * 3) Dust the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder tapped from the sieve.
 * 4) The caramel veil.
 * 5) Bring the sugar to the simmer with the corn syrup and one-third cup water in a small saucepan; when the mixture is completely dissolved and clear, cover tightly and boil to the caramel stage.
 * 6) Let it cool two to three minutes, until it forms thick strands when lifted with a fork.
 * 7) Then dip the fork into the syrup and wave it over the broomstick, to form long hanging threads of caramel.
 * 8) The finale.
 * 9) Lift the caramel strands off the broomstick; drape them over the yule log.
 * 10) Decorate the serving board with sprigs of holly if you wish, and the bûche de Noël is ready to serve.