Holiday Chocolate Log

Servings: 8-10
Like a Buche de Noel. Passes the Passover test. Serves 10.

Ingredients
LOG (may be made 1 week ahead and frozen. Let thaw 1 hour)
6 eggs separated
Let whites warm to room temp – about 1 hour)
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Dash salt
Confectioner’s sugar
FILLING
1½ cup heavy cream, chilled
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Grease bottom of a 15 ½-by-10½-inch jellyroll pan. Line with wax paper. Grease lightly. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large electric mixer bowl, at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form when the beater is slowly raised

2. Add ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. With same beaters, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining ½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat until mixture is very thick – about 4 minutes.

3. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together. At low speed beat in dry ingredients and vanilla just until smooth. With wire whisk or rubber scraper, using an under-and-over motion, gently fold the cocoa mixture into the beaten egg whites, just until they are blended (no egg white should show).

4. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 15 minutes, just until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Sift confectioner’s sugar in a 15-by-10 inch rectangle on clean linen towel. Turn cake out on sugar, lift off pan, and peel paper off cake.

5. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting with the short end, towel and all. Cool completely on rack, seam side down – at least ½ hour.

6. To make the filling: Combine ingredients in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until thick, and then refrigerate.

7. Unroll cake; spread with filling to 1 inch from edge; re-roll. Place, seam side down, on plate; cover loosely with foil. Refrigerate 1-hour before serving. Cake may crack. Hide it with confectioner’s sugar.

8. To serve: sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar; decorate with angelica and cherries.