Chocolate Tree Trunk Cake from France

For the sponge cake: Beat egg yolks with half the sugar, the salt and lemon zest until fluffy. Whip egg whites until stiff while gradually sprinkling half the sugar. Mix yolk cream mixture among the egg whites with a whisk. Mix flour with cornstarch mix, sprinkle over egg mixture and fold together. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread cake batter evenly over sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 200°C (approximately 400°F) in a preheated oven. Remove from oven, turn out cake onto a tea towel sprinkled with sugar, remove the parchment paper, roll up the sponge cake lengthwise using the kitchen towel to help and leave to cool.

For the chocolate cream: Combine milk, sugar and pudding powder and cook according to package information and leave to cool. Melt dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water. Beat butter with powdered sugar until fluffy, then add the melted, cooled chocolate. Lastly stir in the cooled pudding (previously remove the pudding skin). Carefully unroll sponge cake and remove the tea towel. Spread approximately one third of the cream on the cake and roll up again. From the rolled cake, cut about a quarter at an angle and create cut branches on the sides of the roll. Coat entire surface with remaining cream. Emphasize wood detail and carve a wood tree pattern.

Allow the chocolate tree trunk to cool at least 2 hours.