Ingredients/Directions

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar
5 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Powdered sugar
Chocolate Cream Filling (recipe follows)
Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Grease and flour a 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pan. Set aside. Stir together flour and salt. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, water and almond extract with a mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thickened. Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until sugar is almost dissolved.
Wash beaters. In a very large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, a little at a time, during the beating process. Fold 1 cup of egg-white mixture into egg-yolk mixture. Fold egg-yolk mixture into remaining egg-white mixture. Fold in flour mixture and spread in the prepared pan. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until top springs back. Immediately loosen cake from pan. Invert cake onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up warm cake and towel, starting from a short side. Cool.
Gently unroll cake. Spread filling on cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up cake without towel. Cut a 2-inch slice from one end of the cake. Place the slice at the side of the "log" to form a "branch." Frost with chocolate frosting. Using the tines of a fork, score the cake lengthwise to resemble tree bark. Or sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and place on small figures to resemble a winter scene.

Chocolate Cream Filling: In a microwave or small saucepan, melt 1 cup chocolate chips. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup whipping cream. Fold about 2/3 cup of cream into chocolate to soften, then fold chocolate back into cream until combined.

Chocolate Frosting: Melt 1 square (1 ounce) baking chocolate with 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 2 to 3 tablespoons powdered milk to make frosting of spreading consistency.