the harvest x3: pumpkin roll

Ok, I think I lost some of you with the Betty Crocker post. I know, it was kinda amateur hour. But it was late on a Sunday? That's my only excuse.

Today's Harvest post comes from somewhere slightly (?) less lame but equally bizarre. Each Thursday my office distributes the week's People magazine. I know the People brand is as old as the hills and a success benchmark for all other celebrity/lifestyle weekly magazines, but it's never been my favorite (then again I don't read US Weekly or Life & Style either, just not so much my thang).

So I flip through each week to see what everyone's wearing and catch the occasional glimpse of K-Stew and R-Patz - and then pass it along to my celeb-loving friends (read: bf).

Last week as I was flipping I came across a recipe which lead to me haggardly ripping out the page before anyone caught me in the act. Because it was a recipe in People magazine. And it was by Kristin Chenoweth.

You know her as Glinda the Good Witch from Wicked or Fran from Promises, Promises but I know her as pint-sized, Mr. Schue-crazed, alcoholic April Rhodes from Glee. It's one of my favorites (Rocky Horror next week OMGGG!!!!) and I couldn't pass up her recipe for her Mom's harvesty Pumpkin Roll.

Despite the odd-ball instructions (roll in a tea towel?) I figured if Kristin could do it so could I and I gave it a shot the other night. My jelly-roll pan is about as small as she is so my roll turned out on the thick side but it was delicious nonetheless, and perfect for a Harvesty night.

Plus, EVERYONE loves cream cheese frosting. Everyone, I tell you! My roll turned out just like the People photo and it would be the perfect hostess gift for a Harvesty gathering - the cut rounds of cake are just so swirly and divine!

Moral of the story is: don't be ashamed of your recipe. As we know, some A-listers like to bake (and cook and make ice cream), and if they can do it so can we!

Pumpkin Roll

by Kristin Chenoweth via People

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. lemon juice

Sift together:

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp. butter

6 oz. cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour 15 x 10 x 2 inch jelly roll pan. Line pan with wax paper.

Beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.

Fold sifted ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with pecans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven. Let cake sit in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out on a clean tea towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel off wax paper. While cake is still warm, roll up in towel, lengthwise.

Beat filling ingredients until smooth. When cake is cool, unroll and spread with filling. Re-roll (without towel), cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.