Spiced Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

(Vegetarian, Soy-Free)

Ingredients:

§  1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

§  3/4 cup all-purpose flour

§  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

§  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

§  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

§  1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

§  1/4 teaspoon salt

§  3 large eggs

§  1 cup granulated sugar

§  2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

§  1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

§  1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

§  1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

§   1/4 cup butter, softened

§  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

§  Powdered sugar

PREPARATION:

§  1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1.       Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan AND line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

2.      Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan, using a spatula to even it out and get it into the corners. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

3.      Bake in preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end if you want smaller roll slices or roll it from the wide side if you want bigger slices. Cool on wire rack.

4.      To make the cream cheese filling: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake as tightly as possible without smooshing out the filling. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and slice into 1 inch slices to serve.

This is what happens when you do NOT grease

and flour the wax paper...you have to peel it off

very carefully and hope it doesn't rip and crash

and burn and all that jazz, so yeah, DON'T DO IT!

If the filling is very soft, be sure to clean the knife

in between slices so it doesn't get too messy

...i was a little rushed with mine

But they still turned out fine and everyone

loved them despite my mishaps :)

I don't know why I waited so long to make this

...it's just SO easy...as long as you don't mess up :p

kidding, kidding, it really is easy!