Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Leave it without mixing for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the butter and stir well until melted and the ganache is smooth.

Place it in the fridge until it thickens.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and almond meal. Set aside.

Whisk together the egg yolks and icing sugar until white and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture. Take care not to deflate the mixture.

Gently fold in the sifted flour and almond meal. Again, take care not to deflate the mixture.

Pour the batter into an oven tray lined with baking paper. Spread it into a thin, even layer of batter (about 5 mm – a little less than ¼ inch – thick).

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 10 minutes.

Once baked, roll it up while still warm. This helps prevent cracking when you roll it later.

Let it cool down completely while rolled up. Then unroll it and spread it with some of the chocolate ganache.

Roll it up again. Cut a slice at a 45-degree angle. Using some chocolate ganache, attach the slice to the top of the cake to make it look like a cut-out branch.

Use the remaining chocolate ganache to cover the whole yule log. Use a fork to trace lines over the surface, then dust with icing sugar. I also made snowflakes, stars, and other decorations using fondant and edible silver glitter.