It’s that time of year again…Pumpkin everything! Pumpkin decor, pumpkin candles, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin lattes…pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin.
People go wild for pumpkin flavor…or do they? Perhaps it’s more about the warming spices that accompany the rather mild pumpkin flavor?! Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger all take their turns showing up in recipes. Maybe the eggs, dairy and sweetening contained in pumpkin foods adds to the appeal as well.
In my kitchen, I circumvent the pumpkin craze, only by substituting sweet potatoes in place of pumpkin. I happened upon this replacement years ago while cooking for one of my babies. Fresh sweet potatoes were almost always available in the grocery store. They cost less than canned pumpkin and contained greater nutritional value.
We found we preferred the flavor of sweet potatoes in most of my recipes. I can still picture the time my dad almost melted at the table when he took his first bite of my sweet potato pie.
This Sweet Potato Roll recipe, by my daughter Anna, is another winner. It makes a beautiful presentation. We’ve enjoyed giving this as a gift and serving it to guests in our home. The most resistant sweets eaters succumb and haven’t been disappointed. We use sweet potatoes, but, of course, you can use pumpkin…it’s delicious either way.
Sweet Potato Roll
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar to sprinkle on tea towel
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 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 sweet potato or pumpkin
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 10x15" jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside. Fold a cotton tea towel into a rectangle slightly larger than prepared pan. Lay on a flat surface and dust the top liberally with powdered sugar.
- In a large bowl whisk eggs and granulated sugar together until thick. Beat in sweet potato and whisk to incorporate.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt together then add to egg mixture. Stir just until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with chopped nuts, if using.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until center of cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and immediately invert cake onto a prepped towel. Peel off the parchment paper and roll up the cake and towel together starting with the shorter side of the cake.
- Let cool on a wire rack then transfer to the fridge to cool completely.
- Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth and airy.
- In a separate bowl whip cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and g-e-n-t-l-y fold together just until combined.
- Carefully unroll cake and spread the filling evenly over entire cake. Re-roll just the cake and filling peeling away from the towel as you go. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for several hours or overnight until completely chilled.
- Cut into 10 1-inch slices and serve cold or slightly cooler than room temperature.
