Pumpkin Rolls

Pumpkin has been on my mind lately. Maybe it’s the leftover jack-o-lanterns, the ever famous pumpkin spice lattes, or just the fact that it is that time of year, whatever the reason, if you need a new pumpkin treat to bring to the family get-together, or just to spice up your fall baking, look no further!

I went looking for the perfect recipe today and found a lovely one here at: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/10/perfect-pumpkin-roll/.

I took the time to bake it slowly and take detailed instructions with pictures, so that you too can enjoy these scrumptious pumpkin rolls, with my own spin added in just for fun:)

Enjoy!

To begin these little delights, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Then make sure you have all these ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• ⅔ cup of canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 8 oz of softened cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of softened butter
• 1 ½ cup of powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla

Next step: Use a 15×10 inch baking pan. It’s very important that your dough doesn’t stick to the pan while it’s cooking, so grease and flour the entire pan and also a piece of parchment paper for the bottom.

Finally, it’s time to start some baking? All ready? Got the music playing? Your cozy slippers on? (Those steps are completely optional, but in my personal opinion they make the experience about a million times better)

Take your eggs. For this recipe you need to separate the egg yolk and egg whites, but you will use both of them.

Don’t get intimidated, it’s actually not that hard. Crack the egg as you normally would but don’t let the egg spill over into the bowl. Some of the egg white will immediately spill over the edges of the shell, that’s okay, just let it go into the bowl. Hold half the shell in each hand and pour the yolk back and forth between the shells. The egg white will spill into the bowl, and you will be left with just the yolk, which you can pour into a separate bowl. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

Once your eggs are all separated, take the yolks and place them in a large bowl. Beat them until they start to thicken. Add a ½ cup of sugar and the pumpkin, and then continue to beat until everything is well mixed and the sugar looks almost dissolved.

Now, take another bowl and pour in your egg whites. Beat them on a high speed until they begin to thicken like the first picture below. Then slowly add the sugar while the beater is still on. Then continue to beat for several minutes until the eggs are glossy and almost an icing consistency.

Next,  take the egg whites and fold them right into your pumpkin mixture! It sort of looks like melted marshmallows and baby food, but I promise you, it will taste good in the end!

Take a smaller bowl and pour all the flour in. Add in the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix it up, then add it to the pumpkin/egg concoction.

The first big part of this baking adventure is complete! Spread your dough into the pan, give it a goodbye kiss, and pop it into the oven for 13-16 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, you don’t want it to burn at all. When you can lightly touch it with a wooden spoon and the cake springs back up without leaving a dent, it’s done!

While the pumpkin mixture is cooking, lay out a clean dishtowel on the counter. Lightly sprinkle it with powdered sugar. When the pan comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for five minutes before you flip it out onto the dishtowel. Gently peel off the parchment paper. While the cake is still warm, slowly and carefully roll it up with the towel on the inside of the roll. It looks like you are making a pumpkin and dish towel roll-up, but that’s okay. Let it cool completely before unrolling.

While your pumpkin and towel roll-up is cooling, it’s time to make the filing.

Everyone knows the icing is the best part of a cake,and the chocolate chips are the best part of the cookie, and in a pumpkin roll up, the filling is by far my favorite part. Take the four remaining ingredients, cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and thrown them all in the bowl and beat them until they are a cream consistency.

I added a little twist and put a couple teaspoons of cinnamon in as well, because I love cinnamon, and what goes better with pumpkin and cream cheese then cinnamon?

Nothing.

When the cake is cooled, unroll it and spread the filling evenly. Roll it back up carefully and cover the entire roll in plastic wrap. It will look a bit messy when you re-roll it and the end won’t look like a nice spiral like you want. That’s okay, it will look better once you cut it.  

Place it in the fridge for 2 hours. When you take it out, slice it up, arrange it on a plate and you are ready for whatever thanksgiving has to throw at you. Enjoy!!