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.

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.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

3 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned (or thick cooked) 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 (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 (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 is 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.