Little J's Pumpkin Roll

This lovely dessert is the single most-requested recipe in my baking repertoire. It isn't too sweet and does well for several days in the refrigerator. . . if it lasts that long!

Cake:

~ 1 cup sugar
~ 3 eggs
~ 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree
~ 3/4 cup plain flour
~ 1 tsp. baking powder
~ 1/2 tsp. soda

Filling:
~ 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
~ 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
~ 1 cup powdered sugar
~ 8 oz. low-fat cream cheese
~ 6 Tbsp. butter
~ 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line top and sides of a cookie sheet with waxed paper and grease paper. Beat sugar and eggs until fluffy and fold in pumpkin. Stir in the dry ingredients. Pour into the pan, spreading out evenly to the edges. (If you like nuts, you may sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts on top.) Bake 13 to 15 minutes.

Invert over a lint-free towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off the wax paper and roll up cake and towel together from the short side of the sheet.  Place seam side down on a wire rack and completely cool.

Beat together all filling ingredients until smooth.  Unroll the cooled cake carefully, spread with filling to the edges and reroll without the towel. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 10 1-inch slices.

Note:  I call this "Little J's Pumpkin Roll" because we discovered this variation of an old family recipe on one of our baking adventures.  The cinnamon and nutmeg are included in the cake in the original recipe. In the process of baking with a 2-year-old, I forgot to add the spices, so I threw them in the filling.  The result was a slightly different taste, but still delicious.  You have the option of adding the spice to the cake or doing it the Little J way. By adding it to the cake, I think the roll looks prettier because of the contrast of pumpkin with the cream-coloured center. However, the spices' flavours seem to be bolder in Little J's version.

Enjoy!