Pumpkin Ginger Roulade

A slice of Pumpkin Ginger Roulade

I’m home visiting my parents, and was excited to find out that my old college roommate Faiza, and her mother, were coming up from Chicago to visit us for the night.

Instead of going out to eat, my mom and I decided we would make a nice dinner. Mom made her “famous” artichoke-pine nut-lasagna (she used to make  a big batch of it for me when I came home from college, and I would always bring leftovers back to Madison to share with Faiza, so I knew she would appreciate this lasagna again).

For dessert, I decided to try this recipe of Ina Garten’s, a pumpkin-ginger version of the French Buche-de-Noel. It ended up being pretty tasty, and I definitely plan to make it again sometime. Sure, it looks a little intimidating, but as long as you follow the instructions closely, it’s not that hard.

I thought I would post this recipe here because the pumpkin-ginger-cream combo would probably compliment Indian food well — and because my husband loved it! The recipe calls for a 13x18x1 inch pan (a jelly roll pan) but my mom didn’t have one. So I ended up just using a regular 10x15x1 cookie sheet, and I left a bit of the batter out when I poured it in the pan, so it didn’t bake over.

Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup flour

* 1/2 tsp. baking powder

* 1/2 tsp. baking soda

* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

* 1 tsp. ground ginger

* 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

*1/2 tsp. salt

* 3 large eggs, room temperature

* 1 cup granulated sugar

*3/4 cup canned pumpkin (make sure it’s not pie filling)

* 1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus some more for dusting

* 12 oz. mascarpone cheese

* 1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar

* 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

* 1/4 cup minced dried crystallized ginger ( I recommend Penzey’s brand)

*  A pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat  oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 18 by 1-inch pan (or just a 10 x 15x 1). Line the pan with parchment paper. Then, grease and flour the paper.

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Place the eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light yellow and thickened.

3. With the mixer on low, add the pumpkin, then slowly add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula.

4. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the cake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched.

5. While the cake is baking, lay out a clean, thin cotton dish towel on a flat surface and sift the entire 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar evenly over it. (This will prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.)

Sprinkle powdered sugar on the towel

Mom rolls up the pumpkin cake in the towel

6. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, loosen it around the edges and invert it squarely onto the prepared towel. Peel away the parchment paper. With a light touch, roll the warm cake and the towel together (don’t press!) starting at the short end of the cake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Meanwhile, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, and cream together for about a minute, until light and fluffy. Stir in the crystallized ginger, and salt.

8. To assemble, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath. Spread the cake evenly with the filling. Re-roll the cake in a spiral using the towel as a guide. Remove the towel and trim the ends to make a neat edge. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve sliced.

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