Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Pumpkin Cake Recipe is an old fashioned Pumpkin Roll cake with nuts, raisins or Craisins and spices filled with a Cream Cheese Filling.

It is delicious with Penuche Frosting and the top sprinkled additional large pecan pieces.

Roll the cake to look like a "log" for holidays, especially Christmas.

Cover the log with chocolate frosting and make indentations in the frosting with a spoon to look like tree bark.

For snow affect sprinkle top of log with extra fine ground coconut.

Red and green Maraschino Cherries, chopped, halved or left whole placed on top gives it a festive look.

I adapted this Pumpkin Cake Recipe from one that first appeared in a Better Homes and Garden magazine.

I believe it was in the mid 1970's.

Also included is a Pumpkin Date Torte Recipe.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

• 3 large eggs, separated
  
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
  
• 2/3 cup canned or thick cooked and mashed pumpkin
  
  
• 1 cup sifted cake flour or soft winter wheat all-purpose flour
  
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  
  
• 1/2 cup dark raisins or craisins, which are dried cranberries
  
  
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  
  
• Cream Cheese Filling
  
  
• Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top of roll
  

Separate egg yolks from the whites.

Set whites aside.

Beat the yolks in a mixing bowl on high speed until light and thickened.

Takes about 3 minutes.

Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is creamed well.

Stir in pumpkin.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

Fold into egg yolk mixture very gently so as not to break the air bubbles already whipped in.

This Pumpkin Cake Recipe makes a sponge cake.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, but not until overly dry.

Carefully fold into batter until all whites are mixed in well.

Fold in nuts and raisins or craisins.

Grease a 15" x 10" jelly-roll pan.

Place a layer of parchment paper on bottom of pan.

Grease paper and dust with flour.


Pour batter into pan.

Bake in a preheated oven 375 F. for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and center of cake springs back when touched lightly in center with finger.

Then it is done.

Remove from oven.

Immediately invert onto a non-terry kitchen cloth (a linen towel is great), which has been sprinkled generously with powdered sugar.

Work quickly to prevent cake from cracking.

Peel paper from cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Trim hard edges around cake if preferred.

Roll cake and towel up jelly-roll style, starting with the 10" side.

Place on a flat surface with the seam side down, cover loosely, and let cool completely.

Unroll the cake. Spread the Cream Cheese Filling over top.

Sprinkle with Maraschino Cherries and re-roll.

Place in the refrigerator several hours to chill before serving.

Pumpkin Cake Recipe Roll
Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 stick butter
  
  
• 1 lb. (16 oz.) cream cheese
  
  
• 2 cups powdered sugar
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 1/2 cup drained and chopped Maraschino Cherries
  
  

Let butter and cream cheese stand to get to room temperature to soften.

Cream them together on medium speed until light.

Stir in vanilla.

Add powdered sugar a little at a time, beating on medium speed until creamy.

Spread over cooled cake.

Sprinkle on Maraschino Cherries.

Pumpkin Date Torte Recipe

In the early 1960s my Husband and I bought our first house.

When we closed on the sale, the  wife of the couple we bought brought our home from handed me a sheet of paper with this recipe hand written on it.

• 1/2 cup coarse chopped pecans


• 1/2 cup chopped dates


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose floured


• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter


• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed


• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (or fresh cooked and mashed pumpkin)
  


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 2 eggs


• 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Dredge chopped pecans and chopped dates in the 2 tablespoons flour and set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan.

Blend in brown sugar.

Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin and vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

Fold into the pumpkin mixture.

Mix thoroughly and fold in the pecans and dates.

Pour into a parchment lined and greased 9" baking pan.

Bake in a preheated oven 350F. for 20-25 minutes until tests done.

Do not over bake.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in pan and turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Can serve warm or cold with whipped cream sprinkles with ground cinnamon or ice cream.

Vanilla ice cream is especially delicious with this Pumpkin Date Torte Recipe.

Cooled Torte can also be frosted with 1/2 of the Pumpkin Cake Recipe Roll Cream Cheese Filling above.

Related Pages

Boston Cream Pie

Easy Cocoa Cake Recipe

Sweet Potato Cake Recipe

Return to Old Fashioned Cake Recipes


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