Hello everyone! There are lots of holiday parties and meals to attend this coming month so it’s time to get out our favorite recipes! I love holiday baking but this year I am a lot more health conscious, not to mention vegan. Pumpkin Roll has been my favorite holiday recipe every year but this year I decided to make a vegan (no eggs or dairy = no cholesterol!) version and it tastes exactly like the original, but with less guilt! If you don’t care much about cholesterol, feel free to use the ingredients you are used to (regular cream cheese, 3 eggs instead of flax mixture). I’m so happy to share this recipe with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Vegan Pumpkin Roll
• CAKE
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tbsp flax powder (see note below)
• 9 tbsp water (to mix with flax, see note below)
• 1 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice or sucanat work well)
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• “CREAM CHEESE” FILLING
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) vegan cream cheese, at room temperature (try “Tofutti better than cream cheese” available at most healthfood stores, especially at “Sidecar for Pigs Peace” in the U-district)
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons vegan margarine softened (like earth balance)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)
Directions:
FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Lightly oil 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Lightly oil and flour wax paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar (if your towels are of questionable condition, you can cover both sides with plastic wrap)
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Mix the flax powder with the water and let sit a couple minutes until thick. Beat the flax “eggs” with sugar. Beat in pumpkin puree. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end (should look like a really long cinnamon roll). Cool on wire rack or refrigerator until cool to the touch.
FOR FILLING:
BEAT “cream cheese”, 1 cup powdered sugar, margarine and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cooled cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired, and serve in slices.
COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel/plastic wrap when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.
FLAX “EGGS” TIP: You can buy flax in already-powdered form or you can buy whole flax seeds and grind in a clean coffee grinder. I usually grind about ½ cup flax seeds, use what I need in the recipe, and then store the leftover in the refrigerator until the next time I need them)
