I love pumpkin roll and usually make it at least twice every fall. Because my lack of attention to detail, the first attempt is a practice run, aka disaster. The second attempt is more picture perfect = still looks wonky. My family loves the taste and texture no matter what it looks like.
A friend made these bars for a fall party and shared the recipe. I’ve tweaked it a bit from the original. Notably adding 2 more eggs for protein, reduced the sugar and added more salt. It’s a perfect breakfast or after school snack. Comes together quickly.
Pumpkin is good for us! It is high in fiber that keeps us feeling full. You’re probably mindful that it has vitamins A, B2 and C — but did you know it also has iron and potassium? I love sneaking pumpkin into recipes where I can like in this soup.
Ingredients
1/2 stick butter, melted (total one stick; other half used in filling)
1c sugar (use 1.5c if serving as dessert)
4 eggs
15 oz canned pumpkin
2 cups all purpose flour
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t each, ground cloves & nutmeg
1t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1t sea salt
Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese (1 block), softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 egg
pinch of salt
Instructions
Melt half stick butter in 9x13 pan as the oven preheats to 350°. This also works to coat the pan for easy release.
Mix this melted butter and 1c sugar until smooth. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, then the can of pumpkin until blended.
Add the spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix. Lastly add one cup flour and mix. Now the 2nd cup of flour until just combined.
In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the filling. I have mixed by hand as well as with a mixer (which gives fluffier results). Use the same beaters from mixing the cake. You don’t have to wash them because the cake is swirled into the icing at the end.
Spread about 2/3 of the pumpkin batter into the 9x13 pan. Dollop the cream cheese filling on top then spread around the surface as best you can. Add the remaining batter to the very top. Use a knife to cut a swirl into the batter.
Bake for about 33 minutes or until center is firm. Time will depend on the pan you choose and of course your oven. I used a clear glass Pyrex 9x13 pan.
Optional: dust with powdered sugar once cooled and before serving. My preferred texture is to eat it cold, straight from the fridge. Whipped cream would boujee it up even more.
Little Rock
I’m coming to Little Rock THIS Sunday! After 18 months in exile of living in Kentucky. The trip’s purpose is to attend a conference at Little Rock Christian Academy on Monday and Tuesday to learn more about the Harkness Teaching Method*.
Laura Cruse is hosting an open house Sunday 4:30-7pm so I can see maximum friends in a short time. Reply to this email for her address. I would love to see you.
*In the Harkness method, the teacher must give up the need to “guide” students to the “right” solution and instead be an active participant in the discussion. A sign of a high-quality Harkness discussion would be one that requires little to no direction by the teacher; instead, the learning occurs student-to-student.
In my own words: Harkness Method is engaged learning. It's like the best Bible Study you've ever participated in versus the most boring sermon.
Persimmon Vinegar
If you follow on Instagram, you have seen my foray into vinegar making. This most recent batch went all kinds of wrong. Upon reflection, I think I started with too much fruit. I used half the jar when 1/3 of the jar would have been enough since persimmons have a high sugar content. Secondly, my kitchen was warmer than 70*.
Too much sugar and warmth is a perfect environment for kahm yeast (not harmful just tastes unpleasant). I was hopeful the acetic acid would take over and push out the kahm but alas, all four jars were infected and promptly discarded.
Vinegar has so many uses in the kitchen. In her book, Salt, Fat, Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, Samin Nosrat opened my eyes to the essentiality of acid that brightens food, especially at the end of making a dish. Actually I think it was Ina Garten who first illumined my eyes when she gave away a trade secret: squeeze a half lemon into soup just before serving. I love to use vinegar in homemade salad dressings, as marinades, as well as a nostalgic splash at the end of cooking greens like collards and kale.
Babylonians added date vinegar to water to make it safe to drink. The Romans used vinegar in water to make a drink called posca. It’s a refreshing way to flavor water on a hot day while replenishing essential electrolytes, like you would add a squeeze of lemon.
A shot of raw vinegar in a glass of water has also been known to help those who suffer with acid reflux. Plus it’s a dose of probiotics!
Want to learn more about making vinegar? Check out a book called Homebrewed Vinegar by someone who also wrote books about making hard cider and fermented vegetables. There is a common theme here. Fermentation is fabulous!
Try that pumpkin roll bar recipe this weekend. We’ve been eating it for breakfast. I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving snacking too.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - Little Rock here I come!