Tis the season for all things orange! And get ready for the onslaught of pumpkin recipes (which have undoubtedly already inundated your Instagram feeds, we’re a bit late on our side). Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies or cakes or muffins have an enduring comfort to them that other baked goods may fall short on. The warmth of the color, quite simply, lends itself to cozy evenings and afternoons or time curled up on the couch next to a fire after a brisk walk down the street to crunch leaves and admire the brilliantly-hued trees. What I would love after such a walk, is to come inside and be met with a tableful of pumpkin treats – that would entirely make my afternoon. So here’s one for the books, and there will be many more if we have anything to do with it.
The pumpkin roll is something I’m just now (spectacularly tardy) aware of, having spotted in on numerous Instagram accounts sporting the rich spiral of pumpkin and cream filling. What more could you want? It’s spongy, light, but heavy with earthy pumpkin and melt-in-your-mouth with cream cheese buttercream filling. This one, of course, is gluten free and is our original take on the classic (apparently) pumpkin Swiss roll. The pumpkin sponge is wonderfully easy to make and fast to bake, and the rolling, unrolling, and filling steps are actually quite straight forward. We went for a thick cream cheese spiral, but whipped cream would also be lovely in this – it works with pie doesn’t it?
It’s one of those easy-peasy cakes that is also light as a feather, so eating multiple slices is not out of the question…we’ve tried and tested this with great results. If you’re trying to serve a crowd, we recommend making two of these and pre-slicing them (after chilling them in the fridge) in order to avoid an all-out-war at the dessert table. It’ll be one of the classiest additions to the treats at any seasonal function, and will crown you the homecoming king, queen, or otherwise royal entity of the night. Technically you’re supposed to use a “jelly roll” pan for these things, but we find that similarly-sized receptacles like cookie sheets are just as good and frankly much easier to come by. Have fun and as always, do what tastes good!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Swiss Roll
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the sponge cake:
- 4 Large eggs separated
- 1/4 Cup white sugar
- 2/3 Cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp each: ginger, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 Cup gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
- 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
- Powdered sugar for dusting/cake rolling
For the cream cheese filling:
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 Cup salted butter room temperature
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet (15x10x1 inches) and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and be sure the corners are pushed in; set aside. Separate the eggs into two medium bowls (be sure that the whites are in a clean, dry bowl). Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the white sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, then set aside. Using the same mixer in the other bowl, beat the egg yolks with the brown sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin until fully combined.
- In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the dry cake ingredients (flour, starch, baking powder and soda, salt, spices), then dump dry ingredients into the pumpkin batter and use a spatula to fully mix. Fold in the egg whites 1/3 at a time, careful not to deflate the mixture. When blended, pour the batter into the prepared pan and carefully smooth so that it evenly coats the pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the sponge cake is firm to the touch.
- Let the cake cool for a few minutes out of the oven, then dampen a kitchen towel and lay it flat on a counter. Lift the parchment paper and cake onto the kitchen towel, and dust the cake with powdered sugar. Roll the entire thing up, towel and all, from short end to short end, and let the cake sit, rolled, until completely cool. This will form the cake into a spiral which will make it easier to roll once you fill it.
- While the cake is cooling, make the filling. In a large bowl, using the electric mixer, beat together the room temperature butter, cream cheeses, powdered sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add the milk and beat until you have a slightly thinner consistency.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll and, using a spatula or a butter knife, spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the entire cake. Then carefully roll the cake back up in a tight spiral. The cake can be stored in the fridge before serving, but we recommend serving soon after cake is complete!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your Swiss roll!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
4 Comments
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Leslie
I love pumpkin spice and this cake hit the spot. And yes, I was double fisting while eating this delicious roll. No shame! If I had three hands, we’d be in trouble.
Keith
Like pumpkin pie with whipped cream and you can hold it in your hand (when sneaking a piece).