Chocolate Yule Log

I found this recipe on About.com.  I do not remember the author.

Ingredients/Materials...

• several candles
• 1 box chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box) cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. cocoa mix
• 1 stick butter
• 16 oz. semi-sweet baker's chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• spearmint leaf jelly candies
• cinnamon red hots
• mini marshmallows & chocolate kisses (optional)

Directions...

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, pour the batter out onto the paper, and spread until it reaches the edges. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.
2. Allow cake to cool in pan for ten minutes.
3. Invert it onto a cloth towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment paper. Roll the cake up inside the cloth towel, starting with one of the short sides. Let the rolled-up cake cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Blend the whipping cream, powdered sugar and cocoa mix together to form the filling. Chill until thick and firm.
5. After the cake has completely cooled, gently unroll the cake from the towel. Remove the towel, and spread the filling over one side of the cake, stopping about a half inch from the edge. Roll the cake back up -- this should be easy, since it cooled in a rolled-up form.
6. Place the cake on a serving platter and allow to chill for a couple of hours.
7. To make the frosting, melt the butter in a double boiler and then add the chocolate. Once the chocolate has all melted, stir in the heavy cream. Let the icing sit at room temperature until it's a little thick. Spread on the cake, covering the entire roll, and then drag a fork through the icing to create a bark-like appearance on your log.
8. Add a couple of spearmint leaves and red hots to form clusters of holly on the log.

NOTE: If you'd like to add "mushrooms" to your log, stick a toothpick through a miniature marshmallow, and then poke it into the flat side of a chocolate kiss. Snip off the pointy part of the kiss, and you'll have a small mushroom. Use the toothpick to stick these on top of your log.

If you're not going to serve immediately, wrap the cake in loose plastic and refrigerate overnight. Allow the cake to sit out for about an hour before slicing.