Step 1

Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge CakePreheat oven to 350F. Grease a half sheet pan (18”x13”) and line with parchment paper.

Step 3

Bring eggs to room temperature. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Step 5

In a separate bowl, whip eggs until thick and pale in color. Gradually add sugar while whisking or using an electric mixer. Continue beating until very thick and light.

Step 7

Add dry ingredients and begin to gently fold into whipped egg mixture. Add oil and vanilla and fold gently until all ingredients are combined. Pour onto prepared sheet pan and smooth with a spatula. Place into preheated oven.

Step 9

Bake until just set in the center, about 25-30 minutes.

Step 11

Meanwhile, as the cake is baking, place another sheet of parchment the same size as the cake on your work surface. Dust with powdered sugar.

Step 13

As soon as you remove cake from the oven, use a knife to scrape down the sides of the pan to easily release the cake. Invert onto sugar-dusted parchment. Immediately roll up cake as pictured above and allow to cool completely.

Step 15

Once cake is cooled, unroll and cover with frosting to the thickness as pictured above. Roll cake back up. Ends can be trimmed and arranged to look like branches attached to log. Place on serving tray or plate.

Step 17

Frost entire cake with chocolate frosting, then use a knife or spatula to create wood grain pattern all over cake. Decorate as desired with with meringue mushrooms and powdered sugar or simply rinse fresh rosemary sprigs and cranberries, then dip in sugar, as pictured.

Step 19

Chocolate Buttercream FrostingCream shortening with paddle attachment on stand mixer or using a standard hand mixer until soft and light in texture. Sift powdered sugar and salt, then add half to the creamed shortening. Add vanilla extract and 5 tablespoons of milk, beat together, then add remaining powdered sugar.

Step 21

Add melted and cooled chocolate and mix until combined evenly. If frosting is too stiff

Step 22

add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of milk. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 24

Meringue MushroomsBring egg whites to room temperature. Preheat oven to 250F.

Step 26

Whip egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and gradually add sugar while continuing to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Step 28

Place meringue in a piping bag with a round tip (or fill a plastic bag and snip a small corner out). Pipe onto sheet pan with parchment making flat mounds for the mushroom tops and tall narrow peaks for the mushroom bottoms (see photo above). Mushroom tops can be dusted with cocoa powder, if desired.

Step 30

Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes until completely dried and set. Meringues should be easy to remove from parchment at this point.

Step 32

Once cooled, melt some chocolate. Spread a small amount of melted chocolate on bottom side of mushroom tops. Cut off pointy end from mushroom bottoms and place mushroom top on top of leveled mushroom bottoms.

Step 34

Allow chocolate to set, then arrange around and on top of gluten free Yule Log for decoration.