Pumpkin Roll

By Kathleen Pennington The Woman Today

Ilove a challenge, good food and cooking. So, when the staff at The Woman Today decided to feature randomly selected fall recipes from Pinterest and asked me to prepare one, I was all in! Or rather, I was, until the recipe I was asked to make was a Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling. I had never attempted a “roll” before. Was this going to be a Pinterest fail?

I followed the recipe and measurements exactly, including the disclaimer found in nearly every recipe: “Oven temperatures may vary. Adjust baking time accordingly.” So when I spread out the cake batter on the parchment paper, the result was a very thin layer that I felt was not going to require a full 15 minutes of baking time. I checked it at 9 minutes and the cake was done, maybe even a bit overdone (according to my husband).

Now for the defining moment – time to roll the still-warm cake! Was this going to be the Pinterest fail part?

So far, so good! After rolling, I allowed the cake to cool completely – about 1 ½ hours. During this time I prepared the cream cheese frosting. The recipe was easy to follow and there were no surprises, except my delight in successfully making a “roll!” One tip I would share is that when spreading the filling over the cake, leave a border at the edges because the frosting will spread as you roll it up.

Taste Tester Comments

“I felt your roll had perfect presentation! Serving it cool was delicious and fresh, the flavor wasn't too sweet and sugary. And the moisture was perfect! I'd love to make this for my family for the holidays!”

“Festive looking like Thanksgiving. Not too sweet. Cake has just the right amount of spice ... not too pumpkin-y. I would definitely make this recipe!”

“Presents beautifully on the plate. Looks extra special. Great ratio of cake to filling creating a layered bite. Cake was very moist. Cream cheese filling was not too sweet. Would prefer cake to have a bit more punch of spice against the cream cheese filling. Never have I been inclined to make a ''roll'' cake ... will consider making this one for the holiday season!”

“I really enjoyed the dessert! I served it at about room temperature and felt the cream cheese was a bit too soft. I then tried it straight from the fridge and it was perfect texture. The pumpkin flavoring is not overpowering and it complements the sweetened cream cheese well.”

I’m so pleased that my efforts with this recipe did not produce a “Pinterest fail!” In fact, I’ll be adding this delicious and “pretty” recipe to my file for those occasions that call for an extra special holiday dessert. How about our readers out there? Do you have a favorite recipe that you’d like to share with us and our readers? Email us at magazines@ duluthnews.com and our Woman Today taste testers will enjoy preparing and reviewing your recipe. Bon Appetit! D

Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients:

For the cake:

3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 eggs lightly beaten

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree

For the filling:

1 (8 oz.) package full-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp. salted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and whisk.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth.

Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir just until combined. Don't overmix.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 15 minutes or until done (oven temps vary).

Turn cake out onto a work surface and slowly (and carefully) roll the cake into a log with the parchment paper.

Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

To prepare the filling, combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.

Unroll cake carefully and gently spread cream cheese mixture onto it.

Roll the cake up again carefully (removing the parchment paper) and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Allow cake to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Remove plastic wrap and dust cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.

Duluth News Tribune's Best of the Best Awards Ceremony — Aug. 28, 2019