Food writer Nik Sharma gives his rendition of the classic Pumpkin Cake Roll. A popular flavor in Moroccan, Persian, and Indian cuisine, orange blossom water’s perfume-like quality pairs well with the mild flavor of pumpkin and salty pistachios. The crème fraîche has a lighter texture than the standard cream cheese icing and acts as the perfect fluffy filling for this rolled cake.
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Pumpkin Cake Roll with Orange Blossom Crème Fraîche and Pistachios
Makes 1 (15-inch) cake roll
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (150 grams), room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (162 grams) pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon (21 grams) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) orange blossom water
- ¾ cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) freshly grated orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Orange Blossom Crème Fraîche Filling (recipe follows)
- Garnish: coarsely chopped toasted salted pistachios
Instructions
- Place a wire rack at mid-level in oven, and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet with a little butter, and line pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs at high speed until pale yellow, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium. Slowly add granulated sugar, beating until combined. Add pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and orange blossom water, beating until combined, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, zest, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, whisking until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
- Bake until surface of cake is firm, soft, and spongy to the touch, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately run a knife around edges of cake to loosen sides. Immediately turn cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with a little confectioners’ sugar. Carefully peel parchment paper off hot cake. Starting with one short side, carefully roll up cake with towel. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Carefully unroll cake, and spread Orange Blossom Crème Fraîche Filling onto cake. Reroll cake without towel. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and garnish with pistachios, if desired.
Orange Blossom Crème Fraîche Filling
Makes about 1¾ cups
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cups (360 grams) crème fraîche
- ¼ cup (30 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons (5 to 7.5 grams) orange blossom water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Using a silicone spatula, slowly fold in crème fraîche and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in enough orange blossom water to make filling spreadable. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Warm mixture to room temperature before using.
the pumpkin cake roll with orange blossom creme fraiche and pistachios was absolutely phenomenal. Easy to make, and such great results.