Kellie made me do this....

Well it's the truth...she's been nagging me to put the Pumpkin Roll recipe on the blog and of course most of you have it already I'm sure but hey, it's nice to ready it somewhere else I guess.
When I make these I make about 4 since they take so little time to bake and put together. They freeze like a dream and even partially frozen they are to die for. Mildred Bernards makes a ton of them for the Bazaar every year. Just keeps puttering and putting them in the freezer through out the weeks ahead and them brings them down to the school the morning of. They don't last long. One year I bought one and ate almost the whole thing all by myself. I was sooo sick ;0(. Buy what a way to die...
I haven't stocked up on the ingredients yet so guess that's coming in the next shopping trip. My mother in law used to bake all her pumpkins down and freeze the filling for future use. One year I thought....hell yeah, I can do that. After burning out one blender, taking the tips of all my fingers and knuckles off due to using the grater on the damned stuff I called Kelleen and she said she never did that and wasn't going to either...well, if Kelleen wasn't going to do it then I'm not either. Needless to say all future pumpkin harvests in the garden went to the kids friends and anyone else who wanted them. And after talking to Mom she told me that I had planted the "wrong" pumpkins for filling. ;0\. Now how was I to know there was more than one kind??? Whatever...
One party we had up here my Auntie Marie raved about the pumpkin roll that Kelleen brought. The woman was my second mother and I miss her so much but she sure could sure make you feel inadequate when the moment struck. She told me in not so many words.."it's really too bad you can't bake like this" Luckily the sweet dear was getting into her daughter's car at the moment so I didn't get to kick her swiftly down the driveway all the way home. This is the woman who always brought beautifully baked lemon meringue pies to our family potlucks and then took the last piece home at the end. My Mom would get so mad. Have to say later she raved about my cookies since she never like baking those. Somehow I passed her test over time.
Well I finally after many years of puttering and making messes got into it a couple of years ago and said I was going to do it dammit!! And I did. ;0)
Now there's no excuses and I have to make them every year about this time and the staff at the HS whine when I don't make them at least once for their dinner desserts. Actually I think it's Kellie that does the whining...she likes to get the first piece too I'm sure. For those of you who have never made these...keep at it. It's not really that hard. Just takes time and practice.
Millie Bernards uses a different filling....but it all comes out great.
Like I always say...Happy Eating!!

Pumpkin Roll

1/4 cup pwd sugar
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup 100% pure pie filling
1 cup chopped nuts of any choice (optional)**

Filling
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese at room temp
1 cup pwd sugar - sifted
6 Tbsp butter or marg - softened
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375
Spray or grease (and flour) 15 x 10 inch pan and line with wax paper
Spray paper and pan
Sprinkle a thin dishtowel with pwd sugar

Combine flour, baking pwd, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. beat in pumpkin; stir in flour mixture; spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts if preferred.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched. If using a dark colored pan check sooner. immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel (I put it on another sheet pan it's hot!!)

Carefully peel paper off, sprinkle with a bit more pwd sugar and roll into towel. Let set aside for a bit and prepare filling. Being a bit warm is okay since it'll make the filling easier to spread.

Unroll cake when filling is done and spread onto whole cake. Re-roll it and wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge or freeze if you want to keep it. I double the wrap so it won't get dried out.

Slice into nice servings and eat like a queen...or king if you choose ;0).

** Note: As far as the nuts are concerned...a friend of mine uses filberts finely chopped and rolls the finished roll in them before chilling. You can do whatever you choose.
If it appears to need more pwd sugar that's fine. I sprinkle a bit on top after putting it on a serving plate...wait a minute...mine doesn't always get to the plate.

Enjoy...;0)