Pumpkin Roll

Here's a dessert that is always a showstopper. Not only does it look impressive, but the taste is to die for! It's like a jelly roll, only it's filled with a decadent cream cheese filling. How fabulous is that? And it's the PERFECT thing to bring when visiting friends during the holidays. This is the voice of experience talking! Jason's mother, June, loves it whenever I bring one to her on Christmas morning.
You should give it a try!!!

Cake:
3 eggs
1 c sugar
2/3 c pumpkin
3/4 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Filling:
1 c sugar
8 oz cream cheese
4 tbs butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Beat together 3 eggs and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. Fold in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, spices, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Pour into a greased and floured jelly roll pan or lipped cookie sheet. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if using). Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Generously dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Remove pan from oven and immediately invert onto sugared towel. Roll up cake in the towel and let cool. Mix together filling ingredients. Carefully unroll and spread filling on cake. Roll cake and filling into dessert roll. Chill and dust with powdered sugar before cutting into 1/2 inch slices.

Tip:
The key to this recipe is rolling it up in the towel while it's still warm. If you let it cool while it's still flat, then it'll break when you go to roll it up. It can get a little tricky when you unroll the cooled cake in order to fill it, but just be gentle with it and take your time. Just unroll it enough to fill it with the cream cheese mixture and then roll it back up again. Then slice it up as usual. I like to slice it on an angle because I think it makes a more attractive presentation. This cake freezes well too. After you spread the filling and roll it back up, simply wrap it well and place it in your freezer.