Let me see that pumpkin roll!

Every year for the past four years I have a made a pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving dessert. It started when a girl in one of my classes brought one of these fabulous rolls to class. Everyone loved it so much that the next week she brought a copy of the recipe for everyone. I made it myself a few weeks later to bring to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' lakehouse. My parents (especially my dad) loved it so I have made one every year since. I chose to try the Libby's Famous Pumpkin recipe this time, with a few small adaptations of my own, and loved the results.

If you like pumpkin pie and cheesecake, then you'll love this recipe. And even if you don't like pumpkin pie or cheesecake, this recipe is still worth a try!

Pumpkin Roll

Cake:
3/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 C sugar
2/3 C canned pumpkin

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Sift together all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg) in a small bowl.

3. Beat together eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin.

 

4. Slowly stir dry mixture into the wet mixture.

5. Pour the batter into a rimmed cookie pan. (Preferably with parchment paper on the bottom- I spray BOTH sides of the parchment with non-stick spray). Bake 13-15 minutes (it's actually better if the cake is slightly drier)

6. Immediately loosen cake once it is baked and roll it length-wise keeping the parchment between the layers of the cake (make sure the underside of the parchment is thoroughly coated in non-stick spray or it WILL stick)* The cake is HOT so roll quickly!

7. I like to seal my roll in plastic wrap to help it keep its shape while it cools.

8. While the cake is cooling beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
9. Once cake is cooled, unroll and spread cream cheese frosting over the entire cake. Roll the cake up once again. (Notice my ugly gash on the right- no worries, it still tastes wonderful! And can be covered in powdered sugar!)

See? Still pretty!

10. Refrigerate for 1 hour, slice and serve.

No matter what the outside looks like, it will look fabulous when sliced, and it will taste even better!

*Another method (and the method most often recommended) is to turn the cake out onto a dish towel covered with powdered sugar then to coat the cake itself with powdered sugar. You would then roll the cake up in the towel. I found that this method actually caused a jelly-like layer to form on the outside of my roll because of the cornstarch in the powdered sugar mixing with the moisture of the cake, so I opt to just roll in parchment.

Speaking of rolls...



He's getting awfully good at this! In fact every time I tried to take a video he had already rolled 2 or 3 times.... he's too quick!

P.S. 5 month pics of Drew will hopefully be coming later today, but by tomorrow at the latest. Stay tuned! ;)