Pumpkin cake, also called pumpkin roll cake, is easy to make and sure to please. It's perfect for Thanksgiving & Christmas gatherings. Try this pumpkin roll cake once and I'm sure you'll be making it often!
Grease a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan and line a piece of parchment paper, leaving some extra room on the long (15-inch) sides. This is so you can easily lift the cake out of the pan after baking. Generously grease and flour the top of the parchment paper and set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar and beat until thickened. Add pumpkin and continue to mix until well combined. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly onto the prepared parchment-lined pan.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan. Then carefully grab the sides of the parchment to lift the cake out of the pan, and place it on a flat heat-proof surface.
Starting from the short end of the cake – and without removing the parchment paper - carefully roll the cake until it forms a complete roll. Transfer the rolled cake to a wire rack and allow it cool completely seam-side-down.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the buttercream filling. Cream the butter until it turns light yellow. Slowly add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla to thin it out to a spreading consistency; set aside at room temperature until the cake has cooled completely.
Once the cake has cooled completely, place it back on a flat surface and gently unroll it until the cake is mostly flat again. Spread the buttercream filling out evenly on top of the cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border around all sides of the cake so that the filling doesn’t spill out while the cake is being re-rolled.
Then roll the cake back up again, carefully peeling off the parchment paper as you go until it is fully released. Wrap the completed pumpkin roll tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least an hour to set-up the filling.
Lightly dust the top of the Pumpkin roll with powdered sugar and garnish with a sprig of mint or toasted almonds
Slice and serve.
Notes
1). Canned pumpkin pie mix cannot be substituted for the pure pumpkin as the prepared pumpkin mix already has the spices added. It also has sugar syrup in it, which can negatively impact the outcome of your pumpkin roll.