Roll with it

Get a jump-start on holiday baking with this vintage dessert

We’re segueing nicely into the holiday season, and that means lots of food, family and friends gathering around the table.

How about a seasonal, yummy, easy to serve dessert that’s do-ahead, keeps refrigerated more than a few days or freezes up to several months?

I’m talking about pumpkin roll, that vintage dessert that can stand alone or be included in your dessert buffet.

My first taste of this lightly spiced roll was at my kids’ grade school, St. Louis in Owensville, Ohio, many years ago. The special dessert for our annual luncheon fundraiser was Nan Galvin and her mom, Kathleen Keenan’s pumpkin roll. Here’s the recipe, with some modifications, to give you a jump-start on holiday baking.

Nan and Kathleen’s pumpkin roll

For the cake:

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2⁄3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting pan

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup very finely chopped nuts (optional)

For the filling:

8 oz regular cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar plus extra for dusting towel

and garnishing cake

1⁄2-1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: Preheat oven to 375.

Spread thin cotton towel with a good sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. (This keeps cake from sticking.)

Grease or spray 15-by-10” jelly roll pan, line with wax or parchment paper, then grease or spray paper. Dust with flour.

Beat eggs on high speed 5 minutes, gradually beating in sugar during this time.

Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when touched. Don’t overbake or cake will be hard to roll. (If using dark colored pan, check after 11 minutes since they bake quicker.)

Immediately loosen edges, then turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper.

Roll up cake and towel together, starting at narrow/shorter end. Cool on wire rack.

Filling and re-rolling: Beat filling ingredients together until smooth.

Unroll cake and spread filling on. Re-roll cake.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour, or several days, or freeze up to 3 months.

To serve:

Cut ends to neaten up.

Sprinkle cake with confectioners’ sugar – if cake is a bit cracked, sprinkle on extra sugar, then slice.

Tip:

If toting cake, sprinkle on confectioner’s sugar right before serving.