Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Don't let the Pumpkin in the title put you off. This roll is sure to change your queasiness (if any) associated with pumpkins in dessert - it did for us: One evening, my husband came home with a piece of cake wrapped carefully and wanted me to taste it. I was surprised, because normally the pastries and chocolates he gets to indulge at office rarely make the journey home, so here was an exception to the rule. I must've known that there was some underlying reason behind it all at that very second. As I bit into the cake, it was a moist layer of cake with sweet cream cheese with a biteful of crunchy nuts... I loved it. Then, he went on to tell me that it was made with pumpkin and that I should try making this at home. I couldn't believe it tasted so good since I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie. My mother, who is pretty finicky when it comes to anything but Indian food, also liked this a lot. Soon, I got the recipe ... (it was the famous Libby's Pumpkin Roll )and made this... I couldn't believe how easy it was to make and I've made countless rolls since then that friends and family have enjoyed.

Keeping up with the Halloween and Autumn theme, here I am with the tasty roll... If you like carrot cake, you won't be disappointed with this.

PUMPKIN ROLLS with CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Ingredients

For Filling:

Low Fat Cream Cheese - 1 pkg (8oz), softened

Powdered Sugar - 1 cup

Margarine - 2 tbsp, softened

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

For Cake:

All-purpose flour - 3/4 cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Eggs - 3 (large)

Sugar - 1 cup

Pumpkin Puree - 2/3 cup

Walnuts - 1 cup, chopped finely (optional)

Powdered Sugar - 1/4 cup (to sprinkle on towel)

A Kitchen Towel slightly larger than the jelly roll pan.

DIRECTIONS:

1) First, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, margarine and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Refrigerate this, while the cake is being made so it firms up.

2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. This is a sticky cake so I spray everything with PAM.


3) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin.

4) Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

5) Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Meanwhile, spread quarter cup powdered sugar on the kitchen towel and keep ready.

6) Once cake is done, immediately loosen and turn cake onto kitchen towel (spread with powdered sugar). Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

7) Roll up the cake and towel together. Allow to cool.

8) When cooled down, carefully unroll cake, remove towel and spread with the refrigerated cream cheese filling.

9) Reroll cake, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (for best results) or atleast a few hours before slicing and digging into it.