Pumpkin Roll

Mom has made lots of recipes over the years, but I distinctly remember a pumpkin roll drizzled with chocolate that she made one Christmas. I loved it. I devoured it. I begged (for 10+ years I might add) for her to make another one, but she never made one again. *sadface*

Recently, I realized, I could make one. Yes, I am now an independent adult (ok, as independent as one can be in medical school with no income).

The recipe from Libby’s Pumpkin said it serves 10, so I double the recipe, expecting extras. This was SO not the case (unless you eat baby sized portions). I’d say the double batch serves 12, definitely, not 20. This was a little tricky to figure out how much batter to pour since I didn’t have a jelly roll pan. I poured the extra batter into a smaller pan, but the little version broke when I tried to roll it…I think that one was too thick. Still tasty though!

Roll making 101
– Don’t bother using a towel + powdered sugar to roll that lots of recipes say to. Just use parchment paper; so much easier (and no lint in your cake).
– Make sure the lining is completely FLAT on the pan (trim to fit INSIDE the pan), or your cake will take on any wrinkles and lumps. The batter is not heavy enough to flatten out the parchment paper if it sticks out over the pan edge.
– Roll the sponge cake when you take it out of the oven, otherwise it won’t stretch and thus will crack if you try roll it after it’s cooled. Roll the cake as tightly as you can.
– Let the (rolled) cake cool completely before attempting to fill it or it will crack.
– When filling, be generous, but don’t fill all the way to the edge; otherwise when you roll, it will ooze out the sides (not so pretty)!

The original recipe is as sweet as heck. I took out 1/2 the sugar in the cake, took out 3/4 the sugar and 1 1/2 sticks of butter in the filling, and all my study buddies agreed it’s definitely sugary enough. As my friend stated eloquently, “It’s because we’re Asian.”

Without further ado, here is my double batched and reduced sugar adaptation!

Ingredients
CAKE:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2x 2/3 cup canned pumpkin

FILLING:
1 1/2 pkgs cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions
FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Line 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper (I used larger cookie tray with sides and baked the extra batter in another smaller pan)

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately and carefully peel the cake from parchment paper. Dust some flour and cover top with another parchment paper. Roll up cake and parchment paper together with the narrow end. Cool in the refrigerator.

FOR FILLING:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Add Greek yogurt and mix.

Carefully unroll cake. Using a sharp knife, trim the edges so it’s even. Spread filling mixture over cake. Re-roll cake and refrigerate at least one hour (I recommend freezing it slightly for easier cutting). Trim off the ends of the roll and remove (translation: eat it so no one sees the ugly ends).

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. This cake freezes well, and can be stored.