Christmas Pseudo-Wooden Pile - Lazy Person's Happy Cake

This Christmas tree stump cake is perfect for those who aren't good at baking! No need to practice frosting; just pipe some chocolate cream, make a few lines with a fork, and you've got that tree stump look. Decorations are a breeze too—strawberries covered in cream make little Christmas hats, sprinkle some sugar pearls, add a sprig of rosemary, and the atmosphere is instantly captivating! No complicated tools are needed; just bake a cake crust, roll it up, and you're done in half an hour. It comes out of the oven with a warm, cozy "winter forest" vibe. Even taking photos for social media is a breeze—just place it on the table, add some pine needles and pine cones, and the ambiance practically overflows from the screen! Bring it out for Christmas; whether for a gathering or as a gift, its beauty and sweetness will be a showstopper, and everyone who sees it will exclaim, "Wow, this is amazing!"

Ingredients

5 eggs
60 grams of white sugar (40g for egg whites, 20g for egg yolk batter)
70g low-gluten flour
50g corn oil
10g corn starch
about 5 drops of lemon juice
50g milk or purified water
5 grams of cocoa powder
30 grams of chocolate coins containing 65% or more cocoa.
200g heavy cream
19 to 20 grams of white sugar

Steps

Prepare tools. First, take two clean, oil-free, and water-free large bowls (to avoid oil/water affecting the whipping of egg whites when making cakes, these two bowls will be used to hold the batter and egg whites respectively).
Weigh out the ingredients. Weigh out 70g of cake flour and 40g of granulated sugar (this sugar is for whipping the egg whites later).
Prepare the batter base. In one bowl, add 50g water/milk, 50g corn oil, and 20g white sugar, and stir well (mixing the liquid ingredients first will make the batter smoother).
Add flour to the batter. Pour in the cake flour and mix using a "Z" motion. Do not stir in circles (stirring in circles will cause the flour to develop gluten, making the cake less fluffy).
Separate and mix the eggs. In another bowl, separate the egg whites and yolks of 5 eggs: put the egg whites in a new bowl (remember the bowl must be oil-free and water-free!), pour the egg yolks into the bowl with the batter, and continue to mix using a Z-shaped motion until well combined.
Preparing the Egg White Base Weigh out 10g of cornstarch, then squeeze some lemon juice into the egg white bowl. Stir manually a couple of times (lemon juice helps stabilize the egg whites, and cornstarch is a helpful tip for whipping). Whipping the Egg Whites Add 40g of granulated sugar to the egg whites in three batches, whipping until stiff peaks form (adding sugar in batches makes the egg whites fluffier and more stable, which is key to a soft cake!).
Mix the egg whites (preheat the oven immediately). First, scoop 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the batter bowl and fold them in using a Z-shaped motion. Then, pour the mixed batter into the remaining egg white bowl and continue folding in a Z-shaped motion. (Mixing 1/3 first "lightens" the batter, preventing the egg whites from deflating and the cake from collapsing.)
Baking the cake crust. Pour the batter into a 28×28×3 cm baking pan, spread it evenly, and gently tap it a few times (to remove large air bubbles so the cake crust surface is smooth). Place it in the middle rack of the oven and bake at 150°C (300°F) for 20 minutes. Remember to cover it with aluminum foil after 12 minutes (to prevent the surface from burning).
Cooling the cake crust. After baking, invert the cake crust onto a cooling rack. First, peel off the parchment paper from the bottom, then cover it with a new parchment paper. (Inverting and covering with parchment paper prevents the cake crust from drying and cracking. You need to let it cool naturally.)
Melting Chocolate. Place 30g of chocolate coins in a bowl and melt them over a double boiler. (They will be mixed with cream for decoration later.)
11. Whipping Cream Prepare to whip cream: The room temperature should be below 20°C. If it's hot, turn on the air conditioner and put ice packs under the bowl (the cream will melt if the temperature is too high, making it difficult to set). Add 5g of cocoa powder and 19g of sugar to 200g of cream, and whip until it reaches a consistency where it is "flowable but has shallow lines" (70% whipped: don't whip it too stiff, or it will be difficult to roll).
Trimming the cake crust. Place the cooled cake crust face up and trim 1cm off each of the four sides (neat trimming makes it easier to roll, and irregular edges will result in a harder texture).
Spreading Cream Spread a layer of light cream evenly on the cake crust.
Roll the cake. Divide the cake skin into 5 sections with a width of 5cm, and slowly roll them up one by one until they form a large circle (see the picture, roll gently~). Then spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the cake.
Prepare the ganache cream on the side. Mix the remaining cream into the melted chocolate, stir well, and put it into a piping bag.
Finishing Touches Spread chocolate buttercream around the cake, and use a fork/spoon to roughly draw a few vertical lines (don't make it too smooth; a little texture gives it a more "handmade" feel). Finally, unleash your creativity and decorate however you like—I added a few strawberries, squeezed some buttercream, and even used a toothpick to dot the eyes of the little snowman with chocolate!
A final musing: This Christmas-themed Swiss roll is just too tempting! It has tree trunk patterns and little snowman decorations—it's got it all! Even though Christmas is still a while away, it's already stealing the spotlight! It made me so busy with holiday cheer that I couldn't concentrate on making it! Oh well, I guess I'll just pack this "mind-bending Christmas cutie" up and give it away—let it spread joy and ruin other people's good moods!