[Foodie Friday Recipe] Homemade Fresh Pumpkin Roll Cake

Rose S. | December 14, 2018 | Real Food Recipes

Pumpkin roll cake is the perfect holiday dessert. Here’s how to make one using fresh pumpkin – it’s easier than you think!

If you’re anything like me, the one pumpkin dessert you just can’t resist whenever it comes around in the fall is pumpkin roll cake – with that soft spiced pumpkin cake rolled up around dense, creamy, tangy cream cheese filling – yum! I’m kind of an addict, but I’m also fairly picky about pumpkin rolls. I don’t like them too sweet, the filling has to be rich and cream-cheesy – not soft like whipped cream, and the cake has to be moist and flavorful.

I admit I’ve never tried making my own pumpkin roll cake. I’m not much of a baker to begin with, and I couldn’t begin to fathom how they get the cake to roll up like that!

Fortunately, this recipe demystified the process for me, and it sounds a lot easier than I expected! Plus, this one uses fresh pumpkin puree rather than the canned stuff. I’m sure we could substitute one of the many squashes we ended up with from our garden this year, so I’m looking forward to trying my hand at making this fresh pumpkin roll myself… If you try it first, let me know how it turns out!

Fresh Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe

Serves: 12
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

3 eggs, well beaten (beat for 5 minutes until light and foamy)
1 cup sugar (you can reduce this a bit if you like)
2/3 cup cooked pumpkin
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Filling
1 cup powdered sugar + more for sprinkling the towel
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit
Grease and flour a 15×10 inch jelly roll pan with coconut oil and be generous with your grease.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Beat eggs for 5 minutes (yes, the whole 5 minutes) until light and foamy, cream in sugar and cooked pumpkin. Then stir in dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Pour into prepared jelly roll pan and spread until even. Pick up the pan and tap it (the bottom of the pan) against the counter a few times, this makes the air bubbles rise up out of the batter.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until cake is done. Place a clean flour sack or tea towel on the counter and sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, run a butter knife around the outside edge of the cake to separate it from the pan. Immediately, using hot pads, that cake is hot, turn the pan upside down over the prepared towel.
As soon as cake is out of the pan, place another clean flour sack towel on the short end of the cake and roll up like a sleeping bag. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
Prepare your filling by creaming together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Carefully unroll cooled cake and smear the filling evenly over the surface. Reroll the cake, cover, and allow to chill in fridge. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.