Pumpkin Log

Ed’s aunt and uncle used to travel the country in their motor home; we always looked forward to them stopping in Tucson every fall.  One year, Aunt Eva Mae brought me copies of all of her favorite recipes, and the pumpkin log is one that I’ve made MANY times.

When our daughters were young, they weren’t fans of pumpkin pie, so this was a popular substitute for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. It felt traditional and tasted delicious!

It doesn’t take much pumpkin, only 2/3 of a cup.  I’ve roasted a whole pumpkin this year, but in the past when I used canned pumpkin, I would use a whole can, but make three batches of pumpkin log.

When wrapped in foil, they keep frozen very well – great to have on hand for holiday guests or to give as gifts. I often cut the logs in half before wrapping in foil and freezing. It makes a good amount to thaw, not that this will go uneaten on your countertop, far from it!

I can imagine dressing this up with tiny bits of candied ginger baked into the cake or a drizzle of chocolate ganache. In the featured photo, I’ve made one plain, one with chopped walnuts, and one I’ve drizzled the pan with 1/2 cup cake batter + 2 teaspoons cocoa and baked for 3 minutes before gently adding the rest of the batter. 

Smacznego!

Lois

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Pumpkin Log

• Author: Polish Housewife
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Yield: 15 -18 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

A pretty and tasty pumpkin dessert!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

for cake:

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• powdered sugar, for dusting

for filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup powdered sugar, approximately

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Instructions

for cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Spray with baking spray with flour.
3. Beat eggs for five minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Mix in sugar until well combined; add pumpkin.
5. Add remaining dry ingredients (except nuts) and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl during the process.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Sprinkle the top with nuts, if you’re using them. (I intended to, but forgot until it was too late.)
8. Bake about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the top springs back when touched lightly.
9. Spread out a tea towel or parchment paper, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
10. Flip the cake out onto the tea towel so that the top (with nuts) is down and on the powdered sugar.
11. Gently roll the cake up, and cool. This forms the cake, so that it will roll around the filling without cracking.

for filling and assembly:

1. Combine all ingredients, adding a little more powdered sugar if the filling is too runny. It should be on the thin side, not too stiff, beat until smooth.
2. Gently unroll the cake and remove the parchment which was on the bottom as the cake baked.
3. Spread with filling and roll up the cake.
4. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to slice and serve.

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Keywords: pumpkin log

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.