Pumpkin swiss roll
Pumpkin is excellent in sweet dishes, such as pumpkin pie from the southern states of the US. I have also heard Flo Bjelke-Petersen's pumpkin scone recipe is excellent - a confession from a Queensland friend whose grandmother used to make them. If swiss roll is a favourite of yours, try this moist, sweetly spiced version - the pumpkin keeps the cake incredibly soft.
Ingredients
170g Japanese pumpkin flesh, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1/4 cup castor sugar
110g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
180g white sugar
250g cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
Method
Steam the pumpkin until soft, then blend to make a puree.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 38 x 26-centimetre swiss-roll pan with baking paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle a clean tea towel with the castor sugar. Set pan and towel aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick and pale. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.
Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared tea towel. Carefully peel off the baking paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with a narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Carefully unroll cake and remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
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Frank Camorra is chef and co-owner of MoVida Sydney and Melbourne's MoVida Bar De Tapas.
