Chocolate Bûche de Noël

Ingredients

• 0.3 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
• 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 6 large eggs separated
• 0.3 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon orange juice fresh
• 2 tablespoons orange juice fresh
• 3 tablespoons orange juice fresh
• 1 tablespoon orange zest grated
• 2 teaspoons orange zest grated
• 1 pinch salt 
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 0.8 cup sugar 
• 8 tablespoons butter unsalted at room temperature
• 12 tablespoons butter unsalted at room temperature
• 0.3 cup cocoa unsweetened
• 3 tablespoons cocoa unsweetened

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• wire rack
• kitchen towels

Directions

1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 325F. Mist a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment. Sift cocoa and flour together in a small bowl.
2. Beat yolks and zest until thick, 8 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy.
3. Add sugar; beat until glossy and stiff. Fold 1/4 of whites into yolks, then fold in remaining whites. Fold in juice and flour mixture. Do not overmix.
4. Pour batter into pan; spread.
5. Bake until cake springs back when touched, 12 minutes.
6. Sift enough cocoa onto a large kitchen towel to cover it. Invert warm cake onto towel. Carefully peel off parchment. Starting at long end and using towel as a guide, roll up cake and towel.
7. Transfer roll, seam side down, to wire rack.
8. Make filling: Beat cream cheese, butter, juice and zest until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar and salt. Cover; chill until firm but spreadable, 40 minutes.
9. Make frosting: Melt chocolate; cool to room temperature.
10. Mix cocoa, juice and 1 Tbsp. hot water. Beat butter, sugar and salt until fluffy.
11. Mix in chocolate, then cocoa mixture.
12. Assemble cake: Unroll cake; remove towel. Reserve 2 T bsp. filling.
13. Spread remaining filling over cake. Reroll cake. Cover with towel and chill, seam side down, until filling is set, about 30 minutes.
14. Cut cake on a diagonal; removing a 3-inch piece from each end for branches.
15. Spread 1 T bsp. of filling on each piece; press against long side of cake at opposite ends. Frost cake. Draw lines with a fork to resemble bark. Draw circles on branches to look like rings. Chill.
16. Remove cake from refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Sift confectioners' sugar over cake, if desired.