Pumpkin roulade makes a festive holiday dessert

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

I  adore this cake roll – roulade – and with the additional, simple touch of pure apple snuggled in the middle, it brings this recipe over the top. Don’t worry about the apple turning brown. It will stay fresh looking for as long as it takes to polish off this treat, which — in this family — doesn’t make it until the next day. I have substituted  the traditional cream cheese frosting with whoopie pie filling.

Pumpkin roulade with fresh apple-whoopie pie filling.

Nonstick cooking spray
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons oil
3 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Milk, if needed
Powdered sugar for coating towel
3 large apples, peeled and cored
Filling, recipe below

Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Spray a 15 x 10-inch cookie pan and line with waxed or parchment paper; spraying the paper and dusting with flour; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth using an electric beater; set aside.

In a clean, dry bowl (and with clean, dry beaters) beat egg whites on high until soft peaks form, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar while beater is running. Continue beating until stiff peaks form; set aside.
In another bowl, blend flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Now fold in half the beaten egg white with the pumpkin mixture, just until blended.

Fold in half the flour mixture, just until blended. Continue until everything is combined. If the batter is not pourable, add milk, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it is thin enough to pour.

Evenly pour and spread the cake batter onto the prepared pan and bake 10-12 minutes, or until the top just starts to spring back when touched.

Meanwhile, heavily sprinkle powdered sugar onto a large, thin kitchen towel that is as big or bigger than the cake. When cake is done, immediately loosen the sides of the cake and invert onto the prepared towel. Peel off the paper and start rolling, gently, your cake with the towel from the long side. You don’t need to roll tightly, just enough to meet. Set aside to cool to room temperature, seal side down, onto the same baking pan.

Meanwhile, grate apples into a microwave safe bowl, add 1/2 cup water, cover with film wrap and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and carefully remove film wrap. With the back of a tablespoon, crush the cooked apples, until mashed but not smooth. Set aside to cool.

Whoopie pie filling

Make creamy filling by beating together —  on high — 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 stick softened butter or margarine, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 2 cups marshmallow cream until smooth.
Carefully unroll cake, evenly spread your frosting, topping with cooked apple. Reroll cake, wrap in film wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, seam side down. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar and keep refrigerated as needed.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.