Pumpkin Roll

This one should have been posted in November, when I made it so I apologize for the delay!  Doesn't change that it was so tasty and will be tasty no matter when you make it! 

I had been afraid to make something that in mind looked hard, when in fact it was really quite easy!  The tricky part comes in removing the cake from the pan in one piece and then getting it onto your prepared cloth!  I'll get to that, but that can be messy!

Start with some fairly basic ingredients for cake making.  My recipe actually comes from an old family cookbook that I know I don't pull out enough.

I am such a visual person and if a recipe doesn't have pictures I'm less likely to make it and this book doesn't have pictures!  Anyway, was worth pulling out and try.  After the cake is mixed up, get it baking.

Now, a couple of keys to cake rolls are 1. Have the right size of pan.  My recipe gave the measurements and I took out a measuring tape and made sure I was using the right size.  Which by the way, wasn't the pan I was going to use originally! 2. Make sure your pan is sprayed/floured!  I found this Pam product that has flour in it and it worked great.  Don't overdue it though, don't want a paste in your pan!
Now, when the cake comes out, only let it cool for just a minute before you start to loosen the cake from the pan.  You are going to want to have dishcloth handy, something that doesn't have a lot of loose fibers or that is thick.  According to the recipe you sprinkle powdered sugar, somewhat generously on the dishcloth before flipping the cake onto it.  When I did that and flipped it, powdered sugar went flying!  My second time around, I tried the reverse and put the powdered sugar on my cake, that actually made a bigger mess!

So go with the powdered sugar on the dishcloth itself!  Use a thin metal spatula to loosen the cake before flipping.  Once on the dishcloth, start at one end and start rolling.  In case you are wondering, YES, the dishcloth does get rolled up with the cake.

This is key, by rolling the cake when it is warm it will take that new shape and stay rolled when filled.  The dishcloth ensures that the cake doesn't stick to itself.   The powered sugar is there to help the cake not stick to the dishcloth.  Once the cake is completely cooled you can spread your cream cheese frosting mixture on it.  Leave a larger border at one short end, this way as you roll you don't end up with a bunch of frosting that got squeezed out!

Roll it back up, leaving the towel out of the roll.  It should roll back pretty easily, the cake will want to be rolled back up.

Once rolled back up, pop it into the freezer so it can get hard.  It needs to be in the frozen state for cutting. Once frozen, cut and serve!

Such a pretty dessert and a crowd pleaser without too much effort!

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. giner
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. sallt
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbls. melted butter

Instructions:

1. Beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes; add sugar, lemon juice and pumpkin.  Sift flour, spices and salt.  Fold in liquid ingredients; spread into 15x10x4" greased and floured cookie sheet.  Top with chopped nuts; bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
2. Dust a dish towel with powdered sugar; turn out cake onto towel; roll up dishcloth with cake.  Cool completely in fridge.  Unroll and remove towel.
3. While the cake is cooling, prepare your filling by beating all ingredients until creamy.  Spread over cake; roll cake back up.  Wrap in towel or aluminum foil.  Freeze until you are ready to serve.