Pumpkin Roll (Cooks Illustrated}

By pknaub

Why this recipe works:
To create the base for our Pumpkin Roll, we baked the cake on a sheet of greased parchment paper, making it easier to remove it from the pan when it came time to roll. Softening the cream cheese at room temperature made it easier to spread onto the cake. Much to our surprise, it was not hard to roll a fully baked cake. While the cake was still hot, we used a fresh sheet of parchment paper to roll it into a log to train it into that shape. We let it cool, then unrolled the cake, spread the filling over the top, and gently re-rolled it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 cups cream cheese frosting (use your own or see related recipe)
• Confectioners' sugar and store-bought spiced nuts, for garnish

Details

Servings 11

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet and line with greased parchment paper. Whisk flour, spice, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sugar until pale yellow and thick, 6 to 10 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix on low until incorporated. Fold in flour mixture until combined. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until cake is firm and springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Before cooling, run knife around edge of cake to loosen, and turn out onto clean sheet of parchment paper that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off parchment attached to cake and discard. Roll cake and fresh parchment into log and cool completely, about 1 hour.


To Assemble: Gently unroll cake and spread with frosting, leaving 1-inch border at edges. Re-roll cake snugly, leaving parchment behind. Wrap cake firmly in plastic wrap and chill completely, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Remove plastic, dust with confectioners' sugar, and garnish with spiced nuts.