Log in for Yuletide cheer 19 Photos . Updated: 14 Dec 2013, 12:05 AM IST Livemint Want lots of smiles at your Christmas parties? Make the log cake the centrepiece on your table 1/19Whisk egg whites until they’re stiff, with about 50g of caster sugar. Photographs by Pradeep Gaur/Mint 2/19Add remaining sugar to egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is thick and resembles pale mayonnaise 3/19Sieve the cocoa powder over the egg-yolk mixture and fold in 4/19Gently stir the egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture until it is completely blended 5/19Line a Swiss roll tin measuring 33x23cm with baking parchment. Pour mixture on to baking parchment. 6/19Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake for about 20 minutes 7/19While the sponge is baking, whip cream with caster sugar until thick.. 8/19Beat together butter and icing sugar until soft and pale 9/19To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Mix in the cooled chocolate with the beaten butter and sugar 10/19When the cake is ready, put a large piece of baking parchment on the work surface, sprinkle a little caster sugar on it, then turn the cake out on to it 11/19Peel off the lining parchment paper 12/19While the cake is still warm, roll it up tightly from one of the long sides, using the parchment paper to push it along 13/19When the cake is almost cool, unroll it and spread it with the whipped cream 14/19Roll it up again 15/19Place the roll on the board. Cut off small triangles from each end of the roll and using a little icing, stick them to the sides of the log to form twigs 16/19Cover the whole log and twigs, including the ends, with the icing. This doesn’t need to be smooth, as you want it to look like the texture of bark 17/19You can use a cocktail stick or fork to make woody grain markings 18/19Sprinkle icing sugar. 19/19Decorate with enough pine cones and winter berries