1. Start with the chocolate decoration for the Bûche de Noël. To do so, melt the chocolate and spread it (thinly) on a piece of baking parchment. Roll up the paper with the chocolate and place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes – or about 2 hours in the fridge.

2. For the filling, add orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, and gingerbread spice to a small saucepan and mix well. Heat up and let the mixture cook for a moment until you get a thick custard. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and orange liquor and mix until the chocolate has melted completely. Let cool down completely. Next, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, add it to the custard and fold in. Place in the fridge until needed.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Separate the eggs. Add the egg whites with a pinch of salt to a bowl and mix on high until the egg whites are foamy. Gradually add half of the sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

4. Add the egg yolks and the remaining sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Sift on top of the egg yolks, add about 1/3 of the stiff egg whites and mix gently until well combined. Next, add the remaining egg whites and carefully fold in. Spread the batter evenly on the prepared baking sheet to create a rectangle (one side should be at least 26 cm long and the layer about 1 cm thick). Bake the cake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

5. Place a clean kitchen towel on your working surface and sprinkle some confectioners’ sugar on top. Take the cake out of the oven and place it on the kitchen towel – upside down. Peel off the baking parchment and roll up the towel together with the cake tightly and let the cake cool down.

6. Unroll the cake carefully and spread about 2/3 of the chocolate filling on top. Leave a border on one of the short sides free of filling. When rolling up the cake from the opposite side, the filling will automatically be pushed toward this (filling-free) edge, and you will get an even layer without anything spilling over. Let the cake roll cool down in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

7. Place the cake roll on a serving plate and spread the remaining chocolate cream on top and the sides. Cut off the ends to make everything look better, if necessary. Unroll the baking parchment with the chocolate and break the chocolate in irregular long pieces while doing so. Press these chocolate pieces into the cream all around the cake roll, and dust the cake with some cocoa powder (optional). Place in the fridge until ready to serve.