Just Roll With It

I AM DEEPLY OPPOSED TO DESSERTS that are fussy in preparation or decoration and lacking in taste payoff. But a yule log, also known as a bûche de Noël, is as spectacular to eat as it is to look at. This airy, cream-stuffed sponge cake is hands-down my favourite holiday dessert. (Ask anyone who has ever been to my house in December!) A glossy ganache bark, a handful of sugared cranberries and a few sprigs of rosemary make this seasonal stunner look like it came from a fancy bakery, but it's actually totally doable at home.

- Jennifer Pallian

The cake's construction may look intimidating, but it doesn't need to be overly complicated. The secret to making a perfect swirl is to roll the cake up while it's still hot from the oven. That way, the starches and proteins set in the cake's final shape and won't tear later.

The old-school method—and the most terrifying part of the process—is to flip the hot cake onto a sugar-dusted tea towel and roll it up. After years of holding my breath against breaks during the transfer, I finally started to question this process. One Christmas, I threw caution to the wind and just rolled the darn thing up in the parchment paper I'd baked it on. Guess what? It worked like a charm. By doing it this way, I got rid of the most painstaking task, which even experienced bakers find challenging.

Another way to set yourself up for success is to grease the baking sheet as well as the parchment itself. Although parchment is, by its very nature, non-stick, the extra fat ensures easy removal of the cake from both sides of the paper after it is rolled up and cooled.

In any case, don't sweat any cracks that might appear. Sometimes they just happen. The pillowy filling will glue it back together—and the shiny ganache will hide all flaws.

Chocolate Yule Log

PREP 45 MIN; TOTAL 2 HRS 40 MIN

SERVES 10

Cake

4 large eggs, separated

½ cup plus ⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided (99 g and 66 g)

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup all-purpose flour (60 g)

⅓ cup cocoa powder (28 g)

1 tsp baking powder

⅛ tsp fine sea salt

⅓ cup 2% milk, divided

Filling