Christmas Log Cake

Ingredients

1 cup baking flour, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

4 egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp lemon juice

Meringue Mushrooms

2 egg whites

1/4 cup cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

Cocoa, powdered

Butter Cream

1 cup butter, sweet and softened

3 egg yolk



Icing

1 tbsp espresso, powdered

1 tbsp milk

3 cup sugar, confectioners, sifted

Food coloring, green

Preparation

Grease a jelly roll baking sheet. Line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper. Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs at high speed about 5 to 10 minutes. Add sugar by tablespoonfuls. Continue beating until the butter is very thick. Then add lemon juice and water. Fold in dry ingredients in four stages, 1/4 cup at a time. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 F. for 15 minutes or until the sponge springs back when tested. Sift powdered sugar onto the sponge. Turn cake out onto a clean tea towel. Remove parchment paper. Trim edges of the sponge if they are crispy. Roll up gently, leaving towel inside, while still warm. Let cool.

Beat egg whites, and when foamy add the cream of tartar. When soft peaks form, gradually beat in the sugar. Beat until meringue is stiff and glossy. Pipe meringue through a pastry bag, making and equal number of stems and caps to resemble small mushrooms. Bake mushroom pieces at 250 F. about 45 minutes. When cool, glue them together with butter cream icing and dust lightly with cocoa in a fine strainer. Beat egg yolks and butter together until smooth. Add coffee and milk. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Mix about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of the frosting with green food coloring for the ivy decoration.

To assemble: Unroll cooled sponge, remove towel, spread, cake with butter cream icing. Roll up. Cut off at a diagonal, a 2″ slice. This is the tree stump. Frost the outside, then add the stump and frost. Make ivy patterns. Add the mushrooms. Dust the whole cake very lightly with powdered sugar, to simulate snow. Keep in refrigerator. Cut with serrated knife.