One Last Pumpkin Entry: Pumpkin Roll!

I took this picture before I let mine chill long enough so the filling is still sticky. I got excited - sorry!

This post was inspired by a friend of mine - we will call her Molene. And, I suppose it wasn't so much inspired as completely and shamelessly ripped off.

We were celebrating another friend's birthday with all the traditional home-cooked brunch items a couple weeks back - bacon-wrapped Gorgonzola stuffed dates, carrot-ginger soup, fritatta, chocolate cake shots - you know, the essentials. (I roll with some pretty fancy-foodie ladies if I do say so myself.) In the planning email chain that took place the week leading up to brunch, Molene spoke of this pumpkin roll, but none of the rest of us had ever heard of it. She persisted that it would change our lives.

After completely gorging on an amazing brunch out comes Molene with what we would later know as Heaven in roll form. The rest is, as they say, history.

And, for all of you lactose intolerant folks out there (I know I am not the only one...) I used Tofutti in my rendition. The result? Ahhh-mazing almost dairy-free filling (I will never give up butter). This recipe is time consuming, but stick it out and you will be glad you did.

Almost Completely Lactose-free Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1c. sugar
3/4c. fresh pumpkin
3/4c. flour
1t. baking powder
2t. cinnamon
1t. ginger
1/2t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2t. salt

Filling:
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

4T softened butter
1 1/2c. powdered sugar
1/2t. vanilla
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F. In mixer, combine eggs and sugar and beat until light yellow. Add pumpkin and stir until blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Spread into a well-greased 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and place on a clean kitchen towel that is liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Let rest for another 10 minutes. From the short side, roll cake up in towel and let sit another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling by beating together Tofutti and butter. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until creamy. Unroll the cake and spread the filling completely covering one side. Roll the cake up again - sans towel this time - and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Put it in the freezer for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!