A Buche De Noel — French Yule Log Cake

** THE FILLING AND FROSTING **

Beat the smoothly melted chocolate into the meringue, along with the
vanilla, rum, and soft butter. Remove two-thirds of the mixture to a
bowl and refrigerate; this is the frosting. Beat the additional half
stick of soft butter into the remaining meringue this is the filling.

** FILLING THE CAKE **

Unroll the sponge sheet and slice a quarter inch off the long sides
so that the cake will roll easily. Spread the filling over the top of
the sheet. Roll it up from one of the small ends and you have made
the log shape. Neatly slice a narrow slanting piece from each end of
the log. With a small knife dig a hole in an upper side of the log
and insert a piece of the scrap to simulate a bump or a branch. Place
the log seam-side down on the serving board and slip double sheets of
wax paper under the edge of each side and the two ends-to catch
frosting spills.

** FROSTING THE LOG **

Beat 2 or more spoonfuls of sifted cocoa into the frosting mixture to
make it a spreadable consistency. (Reserve 2 spoonfuls of frosting
for the mushrooms.) Leaving the two ends free, frost the cake using a
flexible metal spatula, then scumble it with the spatula and a fork
to give it a rough barklike look.

** Ahead-of-time note: Refrigerate the log if you are not contin-
uing; it will keep nicely for a day-if you can find a non-mashing
cover for it.

** FINAL DECORATIONS, JUST BEFORE SERVING **

The mushrooms. With a small knife, pierce a hole in the bottom of each
meringue mushroom cap, insert a bit of the frosting (or softened
butter) into the hole and then the pointed end of a meringue stem.
Arrange the mushrooms in tasteful clusters upon the log and sprinkle
the log with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar to give a snowy
effect. Dust the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder tapped from
the sieve.

The caramel veil. Bring the sugar to the simmer with the corn syrup
and one-third cup water in a small saucepan; when the mixture is
completely dissolved and clear, cover tightly and boil to the caramel
stage. Let it cool two to three minutes, until it forms thick strands
when lifted with a fork. Then dip the fork into the syrup and wave it
over the broomstick, to form long hanging threads of caramel.