Bûche De Noël (Yule Log)

Step 1: Grease and cover bottom of a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper. Beat eggs until frothy and pale lemon in color. Add sugar and water and beat until batter becomes white.

Step 2: Sift dry ingredients and gently add them to the batter with a spatula. Add vanilla and almond extract and pour batter into pan.

Step 3: Bake in the middle of oven at 400F for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Remove cake from mold while it is still warm, and place on a piece of wax paper sprinkled with white or icing sugar. Roll the cake and let cool on a wire rack.

Step 5: Unroll and fill with jam or buttercream. Roll the cake again and cut a 2 inch slice from one end. Diagonally cut this slice in two and attach these two parts, with a dab of icing, to the side of the jelly roll. By doing so, the jelly roll should have the shape of a log with two knots on the top of it.

Step 6: Cream both ends and top of knots with white icing. Cream the rest of the log with chocolate icing. Run a fork lengthwise through the icing. This will give the log the appearance of true wood.

Step 7: For the knots, and the ends of the log, use the fork again, but this time in a circular motion.

Step 8: If desired, decorate the Yule Log with green leaves made of almond paste and red cherry or small red cinnamon candies.