Christmas cookies are usually more fun to decorate than to eat. But there is one holiday dessert that can satisfy both your flair for creativity and your sweet tooth: Buche de Noel. Loosely translated as “Christmas log,” the dessert is a symbol of the holiday season that harks back to the Yule logs of pagan times. The typically chocolate cakes – which fill Parisian pastry-shop windows at this time of year – are adorned with fanciful decorations like perfectly piped meringue mushrooms, festive gold-colored leaves, and branches made from cake. These desserts are showstoppers, served not just on Christmas Eve but for the entire holiday season.

If Buche de Noel sounds too fancy to make at home, never fear: The treat is really just a more sophisticated cousin of Yodel snack cakes and the humble Swiss roll. A Buche de Noel is made from a light sponge cake, rolled around a creamy filling, covered in rich frosting, and decorated to look like a log.Thankfully, there’s no need to bother with meringue if you want to make one at home.There are easy and tasty ways to make a simple Swiss roll cake appear log-like.

Most recipes suggest you decorate the chocolate frosting with the tines of a fork to make it look like bark, adding meringue mushrooms and greenery to make the log look even more realistic. But I skip the forkand-meringue routine entirely, because I don’t care for the sugary flavor. Instead, I go for almonds. They add a nutty crunch to the cake, and the brown exterior of shelled but unblanched almonds looks like bark. If you press toasted, split almonds into the frosting in a branching pattern, the cake really starts to look like a log – without any fancy handiwork.The final touch is to flip the almond halves white-side up and attach them to the ends of the cake to simulate the “cut” sides of the log.

As for the frosting and filling,many Parisian pastry shops feature lighter-colored Buches de Noel, covered in chestnut, mocha, or coffee buttercream. I prefer to stick with the easiest option, which also happens to rank darkest on the chocolate scale: a rich ganache made from melted bittersweet chocolate and cream. Orange is an essential addition: The fruit adds a refreshing dose of tartness that sets off the dark chocolate and adds a floral note to the whipped cream filling.

This classic, strong flavor is a welcome addition to holiday parties, but it also makes a dignified finish for a New Year’s Eve feast, too. And come midnight, Buche de Noel even goes perfectly with a glass of champagne.

Orange – Chocolate B u che de Noel With Toasted Almonds

This recipe is adapted from one onEpicurious.com. The cake needs to chill for at least four or five hours before serving, but it can be made and decorated one day ahead.

FOR THE GENOISE
6 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus a bit more for sifting

FOR THE WHIPPED-CREAM FILLING
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (a Microplane is great for this)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE DARK-CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

FOR THE DECORATION
2 cups whole almonds, skin on
Powdered sugar
A few small evergreen branches and/or pinecones

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350-. Butter a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan. Cut a piece of waxed paper to match the width of the short sides of the pan, with a 1-inch overhang on the short sides. Fit the waxed paper into the pan and butter it generously. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

2. Divide the egg yolks from the egg whites into two large bowls. Set the yolks aside. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.With the mixer on, gradually add just 6 tablespoons of the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.

3. Beat the egg yolks with the cocoa powder and the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar until fully combined and thick ened, about 2 minutes. Fold a quarter of the whites into the yolk mixture and combine thoroughly. Fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain.

4. Spread the genoise batter evenly in the pan and bake for 13-17 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center. Transfer the cake pan to a rack and let cool completely. Sift a tablespoon of cocoa powder evenly over the cake. Line a baking sheet with foil and invert the cake onto the sheet, then gently peel off the waxed paper.

5. To make the whipped-cream filling, chill a large bowl and the beaters of your electric mixer in the freezer. Place the boiling water into a small bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface of the water.Let soften and cool for 10 minutes. Heat 1/4 cup of the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low until just barely warm (too hot, and the cream will deflate the filling). Add the cream to the softened gelatin mixture and stir until the gelatin dissolves.

6. Remove the bowl and the beaters from the freezer and beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of chilled cream with the powdered sugar, orange peel, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the gelatin mixture and beat until stiff peaks form.

7. Spread the filling over the cake with a rubber spatula, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Now, to roll the cake: turn the cake pan so a long side is facing you. Lift the foil up to guide the edge of the cake into the beginning of a roll. Continue to lift the foil and gently guide the cake as you roll it up. Right before the cake is off the foil entirely, use the foil to transfer the cake to a platter, seam-side down.

8. Cover the cake platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours, or until the filling is set.

9. To prepare the almonds, preheat the oven to 350-F. Use a small paring knife to open up each almond into two halves (some imperfect halves are fine). Transfer the almond halves to a baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant and a bit golden on the white sides.

10. To make the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, corn syrup, and liqueur (if using). Stir until smooth, then let stand until relatively cool and thick. Whisk the ganache just until soft peaks form (do not overmix).

11. Using a table knife or icing spatula, spread the ganache evenly over the cake, beginning with the top of the roll. Decorate the surface of the cake with almonds, brown-side up, to form a bark-like appearance. Decorate the ends of the log with the almonds as well, white-side up. Arrange greenery around the platter, and dust with some powdered sugar snow, if you like.

SERVES 10