Yule Log Cake

Here's a really easy recipe for a Yule Log Cake. I found it in Edain McCoy's book, "The Sabbats" (but, of course it's chocolate ~ my favorite vice)!

What you need:

1 package commercial cake mix, preferably chocolate (Duncan Hines brand is my personal choice, if you can find it in your local stores)

1 jelly roll pan

2 cans (24 oz.) pre-made frosting in a dark color

Several tubes of cake decoration in green and red

Several toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper. Mix the cake according to package instructions and pour a thin layer ~ no more than 1/4 inch thick ~ into the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake the cake until just underdone. If you can't tell by looking, then you can use the knife test. When the knife emerges not quite clean from the center of the cake, and when a light touch does not bouce back easily, it needs to come out. Check the cake at 7 minutes and then every 2 minutes after that. DO NOT over-bake or the dough will be dry and hard to work with. Remove  the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then remove the cake from the pan by lifting out the wax paper.

With the dark frosting, coat the top of the cake. Carefully lift one end of the cake and begin gently rolling it up as if you were rolling up a map. When you are done, anchor the cake with toothpicks and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Cool the cake for 30 minutes, then frost it with the dark brown icing. Next, take the tubes of colored cake decorating frosting and make holly and mistletoe over the top. To finish, take a toothpick and etch lines into the frosting to resemble tree bark.