PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL WITH CINNAMON TOFFEE ICING

 FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ENGLISH PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL

Based on the fact that my family was getting tired of apple cakes, and in celebration of a new season of the Great British Baking Show, this week’s cake is a Pumpkin Swiss Roll with Cinnamon Toffee Icing.

I don’t know exactly why the Swiss Roll is an English favorite. It’s something to do with Queen Victoria, no doubt!  Other countries have their versions of rolled sponge cakes filled with icing but to me there is something very British about a slice of light, icing-filled sponge cake.

In honor of the season I choose to flavor my cake with pumpkin and the warm spices of Autumn.  I finished it with a cream cheese cinnamon icing sprinkled with Heath Bar Toffee Bits.

Before I started I went back and reread my blog on making a Swiss Roll.  I will go over it again in this post but there are more pictures and details in this prior blog if you want to look.

The most important thing about making a rolled cake is the act of rolling the cake AS SOON AS YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE OVEN.  A warm cake will roll easily and as it cools it will “remember” the shape so that when you unroll it, ice it, and roll it back up, it won’t split.  (Well, it may still split but it shouldn’t fall apart on you. )

So

• prep your pan by spraying it with cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper as well.
• Preheat the oven.
• Place a dish towel on your countertop and put a piece of parchment paper on the dish towel. Sprinkle some sugar all over the top of the parchment paper. You will turn the cake out onto this when it comes out of the oven.

Then start working on the Swiss Roll!

Stir together the flour, leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) and the spices in a small bowl.

Mix together the eggs, sugars, pumpkin puree, and vanilla.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together and pour into your prepared pan. Make sure the batter evenly fills the pan.

It doesn’t take long to cook, 15-20 minutes.  It’s done when a tester comes out clean and it bounces back when you touch it.

Take the cake out of the oven and flip it out onto the prepared parchment paper.

Roll the cake up with the parchment paper.  Once it is fully rolled place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours, until it is completely cooled.

The first rolling of the cake doesn’t have to be super tight.

When you are ready to ice the cake, make the icing.

Carefully and slowly unroll the cake and lie it flat.

Open the cake and lie it flat. You will see that it “remembers” the roll

Spread some of the icing (a little less than half) over the top of the cake.  Make sure you go right to the edges. It should be evenly spread and not too thick.

Try to spread the icing evenly and to the edges. Obviously I have some work to do here!

Using two hands roll the cake up tightly.  Some of the icing will spill out of the edges.  That’s okay.

Roll it as tightly as you can. Don’t worry about the icing spilling out of the edges

Once the cake is tightly rolled, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for another hour.  Cover and reserve the remaining icing.

Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap. As it cools in the fridge the icing will set and help hold the shape

Once the Swiss Roll has set, spread the icing on the top and sides and sprinkle it all over with the toffee bits.  You may need to use your hands to press the toffee into the sides.

Refrigerate the Swiss Roll until you are ready to serve it.

My family’s thoughts?

“This may be one of the best things you’ve baked in a while.”

“I don’t like it…I love it”

“I think you need to make this again for Halloween.”

Swirls of icing inside and a topping of icing and toffee bits make evey bite delicious

Print

PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL WITH CINNAMON TOFFEE ICING

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

resting 3 hours

Servings 8 people

Author Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• ¾ c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• ½ c brown sugar
• ½ c sugar
• 2/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp sugar for dusting

FOR THE ICING

• 6 oz cream cheese
• ¼ c butter room temperature
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup Heath Bar Toffee Bits

Instructions

BAKE THE CAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease or spray a 10 x 15 inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease or spray the parchment paper.
3. Prepare for rolling the cake immediately after it comes out of the oven by placing a clean kitchen towel on your countertop and putting a piece of parchment paper on top of this. The towel will keep the paper from slipping as you roll the cake. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of sugar on the parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
5. In the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the pumpkin, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat for two minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat together to mix. Stir in the dry ingredients.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the pan and spread to all four corners. Bake 17-20 minutes until the cake springs back when touched lightly and pulls away from the edges of the pan.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and loosen the sides with a knife. Turn the cake out onto the prepared parchment paper and slowly and carefully roll the cake up in the paper. Place the cake, still wrapped in the paper in the refrigerator to cool (2 hours). You can also let it sit on the counter until it is fully cooled.

ICING THE CAKE

1. Once the cake is cool, make the icing.
2. Beat the cream cheese and butter together on high until they are well mixed. You may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and continue to beat it together until it is well mixed and creamy. It will be a loose icing.
3. Carefully unroll the cake and lay it flat. Spread about 1/3 of the icing on the cake making sure to spread it evenly and out to all the sides and corners. Roll the cake back up, tightly this time. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator to set, about an hour.
4. Once the cake has set, unwrap it and place it on a plate. Spread the remainder of the icing on the sides and top and sprinkle with toffee bits. Use your hand to press the toffee bits on to the sides and end.
5. Store the cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Note: You can use 2 tsp of pumkin pie spice if you don't have all the other spices to hand.. The finished cake freezes well. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator befor serving.