Pumpkin

I am typically not a bandwagon type of girl, but lately, with all the talk of pumpkin this, pumpkin spice that, I felt the need to try my hand at something pumpkin.  I set out just to attempt a classic pumpkin roll, but when I came home from the store with a 29oz can of, what else but...PUMPKIN, one pumpkin roll turned into a pumpkin roll, a dozen pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and a pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake.

I was slightly hesitant about the pumpkin roll at first.  The idea of rolling a cake wasn't resulting in images of success in my mind.  I was already formulating back up plans just in case the whole thing stuck to the pan or crumbled to pieces.  Much to my surprise, however, I was successful in rolling a cake.  What's more, I took pictures!

The line up

Ready for the oven

It's in one piece!

Rolling, take 1

The best part

Rolling, take 2

Ta-Da

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients:



3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup solid pack pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tablespoons butter

8 ounces cream cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a jellyroll pan.  Line with greased and floured parchment paper.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and ginger. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly on top, and press lightly into batter.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it springs back when touched. Loosen edges with a knife. Turn out on two dishtowels that have been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up cake, and let cool for about 20 minutes.

4. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners' sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.

5. Unroll pumpkin cake when cool, and spread with filling. Reroll, and push aside the dishtowel. Unroll long sheet of waxed paper. Put pumpkin roll on waxed paper. Dust pumpkin roll with powdered sugar. Twist ends of waxed paper like a piece of candy. Put pumpkin roll in refrigerator and chill overnight. Before slicing, dust with powdered sugar. Serve chilled.


Next time, I'll make sure to flip the cake over once more when it comes out of the pan to ensure that the pecans are on the inside of the roll. 

The pumpkin chocolate chip muffins weren't quite as successful.  I think Will gave them a B-.  The texture was a little off.  They were dense, almost more like cupcakes than muffins. 
The cake is pretty good but needs some more moisture, maybe a glaze.  I'll have to work on those some more. 

We've got storms headed our way.  I'm shutting down for the night.

Jamie