Pumpkin Cake Roll

Hello again!  All of you fall/pumpkin lovers will LOVE this recipe.  I've made two so far and they have been pretty stompin' good, as my mother would say.  I will put a disclaimer out though:  it is a long process.  Totally worth it though, you'll have to try and see!

First gather all the ingredients...

Cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla  (recipe calls for 3/4 tsp but why not make it a full tsp?)


Then line a 15in X 10in X 1in baking sheet with wax paper.  Spray it VERY GOOD, lest you have pieces of cake peeled off later on.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks til they get lemony yellow and thick.  

Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin.

 Like my yellow yolks?

 The star ingredient

Now in a small bowl beat your 3 egg whites til they form small peaks.  Add the other 1/2 cup sugar slowly while beating the eggs til they form stiff peaks.  This part is fun because you get to watch the egg whites go from clear to glossy shiny airy white!

 Here we go...

My soft peaks

 Live-action pic

My stiff peaks...they're looking back at me!

Fold this into the pumpkin mixture.  FOLD, do not stir or mix, as you don't want to smush all the air out of the egg whites.  This is VERY important for the cake texture so you can roll it later.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

 Fold this into the pumpkin/egg white mixture until it's completely incorporated.  This usually takes about 5 minutes.  Be VERY gentle with this.  Also, maybe you wanna dip your finger in to try it?  :)

Spread it evenly onto your wax-paper-covered-baking sheet.

 Place it in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes.

While it's baking, sprinkle powdered sugar all over a CLEAN kitchen towel.

When it comes out lookin all pretty, take it off the pan and immediately flip it onto the towel.

 Peel off the wax paper and roll that baby up!

 Let it cool down completely.

Now for the filling, mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar.  Beat until fully incorporated.

After the roll is completely cooled...

...unroll it and slather the cream cheese filling on there!

Marvel at your finished product and how scrumptious it looks.  You're gonna want to freeze this for awhile...it's great to make ahead of time!  All you have to do is pull it out of the freezer 15 minutes before you plan to serve it and slice it up.  You may want to sprinkle more powdered sugar on top as it does kinda melt when the roll thaws.  Doesn't it look just amazing?

I made this last week for our annual family reunion at Oma's house and...well...let's just say there were no leftovers.  This is such a perfect dessert to eat with a nice cup of coffee (especially with Aldi's pumpkin spice creamer!)

If you would like to get the recipe to print, here is the website:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pumpkin-Cake-Roll-4 

Oh yeah, and one more thing:  WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!  Well, technically, I'm pregnant but Brad helped!  I won't post the picture of the test because I don't think y'all want to see that.  We are going to the doctor on Oct 31 to have our first sonogram so be on the lookout for a nice alien baby picture!

Love always,

Hannah Elise