Enjoy a Fall Pleasure With My Incredible Pumpkin Cake Roll

This time of year is the perfect time to try my wonderful pumpkin cake roll.  My recipe will give you a fabulous spice cake that you will stuff with a sweet cream cheese filling for an absolute incredible way to indulge.  You can add nuts to this batter to give it more crunch or enjoy plain.

Canned pumpkin is the easiest way to go.  However, if you want to take advantage of fresh pumpkin, then you need to be aware of one thing.  Once you peel and cut the pumpkin into pieces to cook in some water in your saucepan, you must be careful not to use too much water.  If you do cover those pumpkin pieces over with too much water and think it will work, you will be disappointed to find that you end up with a mushy pumpkin soup instead.   Try as little water for the amount of pumpkin that you can and watch your pot as it cooks.  This is your safest bet when trying to cook pumpkin down and being later able to mash it into a suitable puree. 

Nonetheless, if you do have a fresh pumpkin that you wish to play with, you can make lots of delicious recipes at a fraction of the cost from one tiny fresh one over a commercial can.  

One last thing that I want to mention is about baking powder.  Do check your labels and read the ingredients.  As you will notice, most varieties have aluminum, which is said to be unhealthy for brain health in particular.  I use Rumford baking powder only since it is the only one that I have ever found to be free of that aluminum.

Either route you take will give you a beautiful pumpkin cake roll that is moist, springy to the touch and an ideal one to receive that creamy sweet cheese filling.   I honestly do hope you will be tempted to try my recipe because it is yummy especially the next day once those flavors totally come together in your refrigerator.

My Incredible Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 eggs (medium size is best for this type of cake)
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of pumpkin
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup of flour

Pumpkin Cake Roll Filling:

1 cup of confectioners' sugar
6-oz. of Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
4 tablespoons of margarine (not spread)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

To make the cake roll: 

Beat your eggs with your electric mixer on high for about five minutes until nice and fluffy in your mixing bowl. 
Add the sugar  and beat in gradually.

Stir in the pumpkin and lemon next.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt into a separate mixing bowl.  Take these dry ingredients and fold into slowly into your pumpkin mixture.

Grease and flour a baking pan approximately 15" x 10" x 1" size and pour in the batter.

At this stage, you can add chopped nuts, if desired.  (I only add the nuts if I happen to have them in the house or for special occasions).

Bake this roll in a  375-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Be sure to sprinkle a towel with some confectioners' sugar before trying to remove your cake.  (I like to let this cool at least five minutes first before attempting to this hot cake).

Starting at the narrow end, roll the towel and cake together.  Let this cool thoroughly in this fashion before unrolling to stuff with the filling.

To Make the Filling:

Mix thoroughly all the filling ingredients together with your electric mixer until well combined and creamy.