Bûche de Noël (Yule Log)

Ingredients:

4 eggs
200g sugar
3 tbsp water
140g fine cake flour
1 1/2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
jar of seedless strawberry or raspberry jelly
300g chocolate buttercream icing
icing sugar, to dust
sprig of holly, to decorate

Method:

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a wire whisk until pale yellow and frothy. Add the sugar and water to the eggs and continue to beat until all the sugar has dissolved.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mix to the egg mixture, folding with a large metal spoon until combined. Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts then pour the batter into a Swiss (jelly) roll tin that's been well buttered and lined with greaseproof paper.

Spread the batter out evenly then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly (do not over-bake, or the sponge mix will be impossible to roll).

Once done, remove the cake from the oven, cover the cake with a clean tea towel then invert onto a clean and dry work surface. Carefully peel off the greaseproof paper from the cake then trim away any crusty edges.

Fold one end of the towel over a short end of the cake and, using the towel to help you, carefully roll the cake up inside the towel. When done, lift up the rolled cake then set it, seam side down, onto a rack to cool.

Once the cake is completely cold unroll very carefully then coat the inside of the cake completely with the fruit jelly. Now roll the cake up once more so that the jelly is enclosed inside (discard the tea towel).

Now cut a 6cm length from one end of the cake then cut this in half (these are the 'branches'). Place the cake on a serving plate and arrange the cut off pieces at either end of the log to resemble branch stubs. Take your icing and use to cover the entire cake (and the branches).

Now take a fork and drag this along the length of the cake, so that the icing comes to resemble bark. Add a sprig of holly and serve.