Perfect Pumpkin Roll

Pat Reed, Winchester
Clark Energy Cooperative

Filling:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pumpkin Roll:
6 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You'll need two jelly roll pans, 10x15x1-inch, greased and floured, two cooling racks at least 10x15-inch, and two dish towels.

Beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl two to three minutes, until frothy. Add granulated sugar. Gradually add pumpkin, beating well. Add flour, baking powder, spices, salt, and lemon juice, beating well. Pour batter into the greased and floured jelly roll pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 15 minutes.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on the clean dish towels that have been placed on the cooling racks. Carefully turn cake out onto towel by inverting the towel/rack on top of the cake pan and flipping. Trim any hard edges and sprinkle with more powdered sugar. Roll up towel and pumpkin cake together, starting at a long side. Let cook 45 to 40 minutes on the cooling racks.

Gently unroll cake and spread cream cheese filling to edges. Re-roll without towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Trim both ends of each roll for a neater look. Chill at least 2 hours before cutting in 1/2-inch rounds and serving. You can roll the completed rolls in pastic wrap after dusting to keep the rolls from unrolling. Store in the refrigerator.