6 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground cardamom
1/4 t cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 t vanilla
confectioners sugar
cream frosting filling or whipped cream
Separate eggs, placing yolks into medium-size bowl and whites into bowl of electric mixer. Let eggs come to room temperature, one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 15 X 10 X 1" jelly roll pan. Line pan with wax paper.
Sift cocoa, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom onto wax paper.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Set aside.
Using same beaters with electric mixer on high, beat egg yolks with remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until thick and lemon colored, about five minutes. Add vanilla, beating to combine. Fold cocoa mixture into egg yolks.
Gently fold chocolate mixture into whites until no white streaks remain.
Pour batter into prepared pan spreading evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until cake springs back when gently pressed in center with fingertip.
Meanwhile, sprinkle confectioners sugar over a tea towel. When cake is baked, immediately invert onto sugar-covered towel. Remove pan. Then carefully peel away wax paper from cake bottom. Roll up cake lengthwise with tea towel. Please seam side down on wire rack to cool.
Prepare coffee cream frosting and filling.
Gently unroll cake and tea towel. Cake will remain slightly curled. Spread top of cake with one-third of coffee cream frosting and filling. Gently re-roll cake without towel.
Cut each end off cake using parallel diagonal cuts. Reserve ends to use as "knots". Gently left cake, seam side down, onto serving plate. Place a "knot" on each side of log with the diagonally cut side facing away from log. Spread remaining frosting over log and "knots" leaving all spiral ends exposed. For bark effect, run tines of dinner fork gently over frosting.
Garnish with "holly leaves" and "chocolate mushrooms".
Coffee Cream Frosting and Filling:
Dissolve 2 t instant coffee granules in 1 T boiling water. Let cool. In medium-size bowl combine 2-1/2 cups confectioner sugar, 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened, and coffee mixture. Beat until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
Holly leaves:
Split candied angelica to make single thickness. Cut out 1" long leaves. Arrange on cake in groups of 3. Position 3 small cinnamon red-hot candies for berries at base of each leaf group. (If angelica is not available, substitute jellied spearmint leaf candies, halved.)
Okay, a lot of directions, but this is really not hard and it's really delicious! Makes a great centerpiece at Christmastime! I just cut some green jelly candies to look like leaves and used the red-hots for the berries. I didn't bother with the chocolate mushrooms cuz it was never explained what that was. Anyway, the cake is cute enough without it, and the subtle coffee flavor was great! Just follow the directions, and it will turn out fine.
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