Genoise Cake‍

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

½ cup sugar

3 large eggs (separated)

1 ½ teaspoons orange blossom water

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 cup plain bleached cake flour

powdered sugar, sifted

Mocha Filling‍

278g unsalted butter at room temperature

112g powdered sugar, sifted

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder‍

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Chocolate Glaze‍

112g 70% chocolate

2 teaspoons honey

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 160/375 degrees and adjust rack so it’s in middle of the oven. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush it over the bottom of a 11x17 inch baking sheet. Cover this with parchment paper, allowing the ends to extend over the edges, and then brush the parchment with butter. Sprinkle over a bit of cake flour making sure every bit of the surface is well-prepared. Knock out any excess flour and now your’re ready to make the cake.

In a mixer mix together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. It should form a slowly dissolving ribbon when it’s lifted up and falling back to the bowl. Beat in the orange blossom water.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating until you have soft peaks before sprinkling over the sugar and continuing until you have stiff peaks.

Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, sprinkle on a ¼ cup of the flour folding in rapidly. Continue alternating like this until you have one airy mixture and then fold in the melted butter by tablespoons, omitting any milk solids at the bottom. Don’t over mix and deflate your egg whites!

Immediately pour the cake batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the surface and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or less. It’s done when it’s barely starting to color, top is lightly springy or spongy and it’s just starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the slightest layer of powdered sugar using a sieve. Cover top of cake with parchment paper and rinse a kitchen towel in cold water, ringing it out so it’s just barely damp, laying it on top of the parchment. Turn cake out onto a surface and let it sit like this for 20 minutes.

While it’s cooling prepare your filling. Cream together the butter and sugar, beating until very smooth. Dissolve the instant espresso in 1 tablespoon hot water and set aside. Beat the egg yolks into the butter mix and then slowly add the espresso and water. 

When the cake is ready to roll remove the baking pan and carefully remove the parchment paper. Cut off any hard, cracked edges of the cake. Spread the mocha filling on the cake, leaving a slight border around the edges, and roll, using the damp towel to help keep it all together and keep it tight. Place the rolled up cake in a plastic bag and throw in the fridge to help it all set and hold together.

While it’s in the fridge you can make the chocolate glaze.  Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set in a pan over barely simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and butter. Continue to stir until cooled and a little thickened.

To decorate your bouche, position your cold roulade on your platter of choice and cut the ends off at an angle and place these on the sides of the main “log” so they look like stumps coming from the “tree”. Stick pieces of parchment paper around the cake, tucking under as you can so it keeps your platter free from chocolate mess. Using an offset spatula slather the cake with your chocolate glaze allowing it to set just slightly before running the tines of a fork through it so it looks like bark. Decorate with holly and/or evergreens and refrigerate until your ready to serve. Dust with powdered sugar right before presenting to lots of ooohs and aaaahs!