Pumpkin Roll

05/09/2011 by Laura • Comment

Recipe: Cibort Family Kitchen
Total time: 15 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking, 1 hour standing
Ease: medium
Unusual ingredients: pumpkin

My grandma was a fantastic cook who made everything on her own, right down to homemade noodles.  She was known for two things: her lemon pita and her pumpkin roll.  Making lemon pita can sometimes make grown men cry unless they know the secret, but her pumpkin roll is easy once you get the hang of it.

You’ll need a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan.  Trust me. This is a worthy investment. Pumpkin roll, peanut butter fudge, ice cream cakes: the possibilities are endless with a handy jelly roll pan.  Grease your pan with Crisco, put down a sheet of wax (not parchment) paper and grease again.  Preheat your oven to 375.   Beat 3 eggs on medium-high for 5 minutes and then gradually add 1 cup of granulated sugar.  Add 3/4 cup of pumpkin and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Mix together 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then fold this into the mixture. Everything will be a delightful shade of butterscotch at this point. Pour your batter into the jelly roll pan and bake for 15 minutes.

When it is done baking, take it out and get ready for the fun part. Take a clean dishtowel (with minimal fuzz) and put it on a flat surface. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Now flip your flat cake onto the towel. It’s like flipping a pancake but larger and more prone to sugar explosions. Slowly remove the wax paper. Put more powdered sugar on top and roll while it’s still hot. Let it cool in this position and it will be less likely to crack when you go to put the good stuff inside.

After about 40 minutes to an hour, make your filling. Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Carefully unroll your roll and you’ll see it has a slight curve to it. Spread on the filling and then roll it all up again. Cut off the uneven ends and you’ll have a perfect pumpkin roll. The best part: this freezes wonderfully, so you never have to feel bad about sitting down and eating the whole thing. Just keep it in the freezer and cut off a slice when you feel like it.

Related Posts:

Tags: , , cream cheese, ginger, lemon juice, , pumpkin