I like the way you roll, Pumpkin Roll

It's fall-ish outside, which means it's pumpkin-ish INside. At least at my house. As soon as fall weather comes, I'm ready with my pumpkin and spices. For years, I bought pumpkin roll at the bakery at a local grocery store, thinking that they had perfected the Pumpkin Roll. Boy, had I thought wrong. As I watched the price go up on my beloved Pumpkin Roll, and as my children began to grow and require more then the teeny tiny slice I tried to get away with serving them, I decided to set out in pursuit of an "adequate" pumpkin roll recipe. I ended up with a superb pumpkin roll.  You will soon realize that I rarely follow a recipe exactly, usually figuring I have a more brilliant idea (!) for a modification or else finding that I am plain out of a specific ingredient,  requiring a substitution of desparation. Either way, my cookbooks and internet recipe print-outs end up marked up beyond recognition and I usually have to re-copy them altogether, resulting in a... well, I just have to say it:  a real classy treat.

So my pumpkin roll recipe is below. It has become a fall  favorite. You'll notice it calls for pecans. We'll save the nut discussion for another day. For now (as long as you aren't allergic), please just make your pumpkin roll with nuts. You'll thank me later.

The Pumpkin Roll

This cake roll with cream cheese swirl is perfect for entertaining because it can be made ahead, and it freezes beautifully. Enjoy!
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon rind
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans Cream cheese filling 1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (4T) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. lemon juice


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small jelly roll pan or cookie tray (with sides). My pan is 10 x 15 and the batter fills it to about an inch from the end of the pan.  Sprinkle pan with nuts. Beat eggs on high speed for 4 minutes, and then add all remaining cake ingredients, mixing until well blended. Pour into prepared pan, spreading to edges. Bake for 15 minutes. While baking, dampen a tea towel, spread out on counter, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. After cake has baked, immediately remove from oven and turn out onto tea towel. Roll up cake (on short side, so that you will make a shorter, but thick, roll) in towel and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

Prepare cream cheese filling by blending all ingredients until smooth. Unroll cake and spread with cream cheese filling. Roll up without towel and chill for at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving