We prepare the cake for the log:

In a large bowl, beat well the 4 eggs with 120g of sugar and vanilla essence.

You don't have to separate the egg whites from the yolks, whisk until you have a beautiful white foam.

Add in the flour, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa.

Mix carefully with a whisk until the batter is smooth, lump-free.

Line with parchment a simple baking tray.

I used the Tupperware silicone baking mat with edges. It's very good for making cake rolls, in particular.

Find the list of Tupperware distributors on the official website.

Pour the batter into the tray and smooth out with a spatula or spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.

When you remove from the oven, dust with powdered sugar on top.

And roll up tightly together with the baking paper or the silicone mat. Let cool completely.

While cake is cooling, we take care of the filling and chocolate syrup.

For the filling, melt 150g of dark chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie. Let cool properly for about 15-20 minutes.

We make the chocolate syrup:

In a bowl, combine 90g of sugar with 40g of cocoa. Add 125ml of hot boiling water and mix well until the lumps are gone.

We prepare the chocolate buttercream:

In a bowl, whisk well 200g of soft butter with powdered sugar.

Then add the melted and cooled chocolate from step 8 and 2 tablespoons of cocoa.

Beat well until the mixture is smooth.

Make the roll:

Now that the sponge, the syrup and the buttercream are ready, we start making the roll.

First unravel the cake and remove the parchment or silicone mat.

Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the top of the sponge using a brush.

Spread the buttercream, smooth out to cover the entire surface.

Roll up tightly and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, to be able to cut easily and neatly.

Cut about 1 cm from the edge of the log and put aside. We won't be using it, so you can give it to someone who can't wait to taste it :)

Now cut a longer piece, about 4-5 cm. This will be the chopped tree "branch" of the log, since we are making "Buche de Noel" :)

You can omit these steps if you make a simple cake log and not necessarily shaped as "Buche de Noel".

Now, here come some more specific steps, to make the work of cleaning the plate easier after glazing.

So, place the base roll, the big one, on a serving platter.

Cut 2 large sheets of parchment and place under the long sides of the log.

Arrange the chopped branch like in the picture, also on the baking paper.

Melt 150g of dark chocolate with 20g of butter in a bowl. You can let cool a bit, so the icing will thicken and will resemble actual "tree bark".

Brush with this chocolate icing both over the base log and the branch.

This is what mine looked like. The glaze was rather runny, although I would have liked it a bit thicker. I couldn't wait for it to chill.

Use a fork to create a stripe pattern, like the actual "bark" of a tree.

Hold the roll carefully with a fork or with one hand and remove the baking paper from under it with the other hand.

Voila! At the same time, both the log is ready and the plate is clean :)

Place in the fridge for 8-10 hours to infuse properly.

Then savour with the greatest pleasure. It's so tasty, chocolatey and filling.

I used only little syrup, next time I won't be afraid to use more :)

Enjoy!