When Mom ran the bakery, pumpkin rolls were one of her most popular holiday items. I can remember her taking orders for them until the dining room table was filled with finished pumpkin rolls waiting to be delivered. One year she did a show and she was holding her last pumpkin roll for a customer; dad didn’t realize and, well, he’s a salesman by trade, so that pumpkin roll was sold in short order. Up came this adorable little old lady who seemed delightful until she realized her pumpkin roll was gone; she then proceeded to turn him every way but loose with a tongue lashing that we still laugh about to this day. People took their pumpkin rolls seriously!
There are a couple of different variations to pumpkin roll recipes but the one below is the one that we found to be the most consistent.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup puree pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
For the filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1.) In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar and mix well.
2.) Mix in pumpkin, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extracts until well blended.
3.) In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
4.) Spread into a greased and floured pan; we always use a baking sheet with a higher lip so that the cake is thinner and easier to roll. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake, in a preheated oven, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
5.) Spread a tea towel out and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Turn cake pan over onto towel, cake side down. Roll cake, starting at short end and then let cool completely.
6.) In small mixing bowl, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
7.) To fill, unroll cake and spread with cream cheese filling; roll back up as you fill. Chill until serving.
These are a holiday staple for both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals; they aren't overwhelmingly sweet and a nice complement to some of the sweeter chocolate and candies that are traditional during that time. So next time you get asked to bring dessert, grab your apron and let the baking begin!
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