Bûche de Noël

CAke

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed half-sheet pan with parchment and grease the parchment and pan.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thick and pale, then beat in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is thick and the whisk leaves tracks in the bowl; this can take up to 3 minutes.
While the eggs are beating, sift together the flour, cocoa, cornstarch and baking powder. When the egg mixture is ready, sift a third of the dry ingredients into the bowl and gently fold in. Repeat two more times until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Whisk together the oil and buttermilk and fold into the batter, mixing just until combined.
Pour the batter into the pan and lightly smooth the top with an offset spatula; it will be thin and might not quite reach the corners, that’s fine. Bake the cake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Loosen the short edges with a knife. Use the parchment under the layer to loosely roll the cake up from the long side. Place it on a rack and let it cool completely, leaving it rolled as it cools.

To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin and 2 tablespoons water; set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, cream cheese, sugar and Seasonings Greetings seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until the cream cheese is fully melted and the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin mixture and whisk until completely dissolved. Immediately pour the cream mixture over the chocolate, then let stand for about 1 minute.
Whisk the chocolate mixture until completely smooth. Press plastic wrap directly against the surface and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled and fully set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Transfer the chilled ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on high until lightened and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl once.

Heat heavy cream in a saucepan to the point where it just starts to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 1 minute. Whisk together until chocolate and cream are fully incorporated.
Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes, until it reaches spreading or piping consistency.

Unroll the cooled cake and spread the filling inside, leaving 1” on a long end uncovered (as you roll the cake up the filling will get pushed to cover this part). Gently roll the cake back up and place seam-side down on a large serving platter. Refrigerate the cake roll for an hour in order to firm up the filling and make cutting and decorating easier.
Cut a 4” piece of the cake at a 45° angle and place the angled edge against the larger log to mimic a branch. Cut ½” to 1” off the ends to make the cake look nice and tidy.
Using a a ½” star tip, fill a piping bag with the pipeable consistency ganache. Pipe lines up and down the cake to look like bark.
Just before serving, dust the top with confectioners’ sugar if desired and the other optional decorations such as: Meringue Mushrooms, Slivered Almonds, and Marzipan Holly and Ivy.