Pumpkin Rolls and Cream Cheese Orange Rolls

Keren got me thinking about Jelly Rolls last week as she endeavoured to master the art. I have tried a few different recipes at different times but the one I go back to always is this Pumpkin Roll recipe as I cook to please a pumpkin loving Man. Even though I have made it many times over the years it has been a really long time since I last made it.

I also created a fun orange cream cheese roll that we really enjoyed a whole lot. I took it to our life group meeting on Thursday evening. I am going to put its recipe here so I will know what I did if I ever want to make it again.

Pumpkin Roll

1 cup sugar

3 beaten eggs

2/3 cup canned/frozen,thawed/cooked and mushed pumpkin

3/4 cup flour, I used 100% whole wheat flour this time and they taste great but they were a little harder to work with as they wanted to fall apart more than normal.

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375*.

Mix the sugar, eggs, and pumpkin in a bowl, add next 4 ingredients and mix well.

Grease a jellyroll pan with oil and line it with a greased wax paper (all of this oiling is really important). Extend paper over the sides of the baking sheet. Pour batter into pan and spread to edges. Sprinkle batter with pecans (I used almonds I had slivered this time and that was tasty).

Bake for 15 minutes, or until done in the middle and turning golden.

Sprinkle a clean dishtowel generously with powdered sugar ans flip cooked cake onto the powdered towel. Gently remove wax paper:

Roll your cake up with the towel on it. My recipe says to roll loosely and I tend to roll it tightly. I guess you can try it both ways and see what is best for your cake. My philosophy on tightness was that would hold it better and not allow cracking. Let it stand until cooled, not cold though.

Filling

1-8 ounce package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup powdered sugar

Beat ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Unroll cooled cake and spread frosting across it. Roll your cake up again (without your towel).

If it is fragile you can use your towel/cling wrap to help you roll it by evenly holding one end of the towel higher and letting gravity roll the cake for you. You will need to start the rolling with your fingers though.

Wrap you roll in cling wrap and aluminum foil. Place in the freezer. Unwrap and slice while still frozen. They thaw fairly quickly.

They keep for sometime very nicely in the freezer and make for a great quick desert when surprise guest arrive. And now the:

Orange roll

1/2 cup flour ( I used whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking powder

8 egg whites

Zest of one orange (leave about 1 teaspoon for filling)

2/3 cup sugar Oven 375*

2 Tablespoons slivered almonds

Whip egg whites until very frothy. Add the sugar and orange zest and thoroughly beat together.

Mix flour and baking powder and stir into egg mixture until well mixed.

Grease a jelly roll pan with oil and line with greased wax paper. Extend paper over sides of pan. Sprinkle slivered almonds across wax paper and then, pour batter into prepared pan and spread to edges evenly.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly near center.

Filling

1-8 ounce package cream cheese

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon orange juice

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup powdered sugar

Follow directions above for compiling the roll.