One of my friends has been making these for years.  I was intrigued by her pictures posted on Facebook of roll, after roll, after roll lined up along her kitchen counter, and then the comments from a number of people begging her to stop by and drop off a roll.  It took a few years, but finally she shared the “closely guarded secret family recipe” with a wink and a smile 🙂

I made my first pumpkin roll from Kim’s recipe last year, and my mother fell instantly head-over-heels in love.  She ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus had another slice for her 10 o’clock and then again for her 3 o’clock.  My mother eats like a sumo wrestler, and weighs 100 lbs dripping wet. I on the other hand look like a sumo wrestler and weighed 100 lbs in third grade.  Life is just not fair…

This is my photo. Libby’s photo from the Land O’Lakes website is above. See any difference?

Ok, back on topic. Here, on my blog, is Kim’s “closely guarded secret family recipe”.  There are a few changes, but it looks a lot like the recipe on the can of the Libby’s Pumpkin.  Really!  Have you ever read the recipe for Pumpkin Roll on the can?  Me neither, and I have been looking at that can for 40 years!  It’s a good recipe.  The Pumpkin Roll is good.  Just ask my Mom.

I like Kim’s recipe better.  It has more spice, and the filling is lower fat than the actual recipe on the Libby’s can.  Disclaimer: I did NOT say “low fat”, I said, “lower fat”! The Pumpkin Roll recipe, according to the Libby can label, can be successfully doubled, but not tripled. I made a double batch last night, and since my mom will not be here tomorrow, we’ll probably have enough!

Pumpkin Roll

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs
• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Beat eggs on high for 5 min.
3. Gradually add sugar to eggs. Then stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.
4. In another bowl, sift dry ingredients then fold into pumpkin mixture.
5. Spread batter evenly in a greased and floured (I use Pam for Baking) edged cookie sheet, 15x10x1. Kim and I use a regular edged cookie sheet as opposed to the jelly roll pan specified on the Libby’s can. The jelly roll pan is smaller and cake doesn’t roll up as well when it’s that thick.
6. If desired, top the batter with chopped walnuts.  Bake cake at 375° for 13-15 minutes.
7. Spread a cloth kitchen dish towel onto the counter.  Spread 1/3 cup powdered sugar evenly over the dish towel. DON’T use a fuzzy dish towel!  Use something like a flour sack dish towel!
8. Remove cake from oven. Immediately, turn out cake onto the  dish towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. 
9. While cake is still hot, starting at narrow end, roll towel and cake together and set aside to cool.

INGREDIENTS

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• ½ tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.
2. Unroll cake and spread filling over cake.
3. Roll up again (without the towel!) and refrigerate overnight if at all possible.
4. Cut roll into slices to serve, discarding the ugly end slices.
   • EDITOR’S NOTE: DO NOT DISGARD UGLY ENDS! Just because it’s ugly doesn’t mean it won’t taste awesome! Awesomeness is not to be disgarded, ahem… 🙂

Makes 10 – 12 servings.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today!