Irish Log

Irish log is the chocolate-mint cousin of the French bûche de Noël, dressed in green for St. Patrick’s Day. A delicate chocolate sponge cake bakes thin in a jellyroll pan, gets rolled while still warm to set the curl, then unrolled, filled with mint-flavored green whipped topping, and rolled again into a striking spiral.

The sponge is the structure. Five eggs beaten until thick and pale provide all the lift, with no butter to weigh it down. Unsweetened chocolate dissolved with baking soda and water creates a deep cocoa flavor without adding fat that would make the cake too tender to roll.

Mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring turn whipped topping into a festive filling. The chill before serving firms everything up so the slices reveal a perfect chocolate-and-green pinwheel.

Pro Tips

• Roll the cake while still warm. Cold cakes crack along the curl; warm cakes flex into shape.
• Sift the powdered sugar onto the towel generously before inverting the cake. The sugar prevents sticking when you roll.
• Don’t overfill the cake. Too much whipped topping squeezes out the ends as you roll and oozes through the seam.
• Trim the edges before rolling. Crisp baked edges crack and split during the roll, ruining the spiral.

Variations

• Use cream cheese frosting tinted green instead of whipped topping for a richer, more stable filling.
• Top with chocolate ganache drizzle and chopped mint Andes candies for an over-the-top finish.
• Skip the green coloring and use chocolate buttercream filling for a year-round chocolate roll cake.