Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll

As promised in an earlier post, I am back to report on my gluten free pumpkin roll. I normally make this for a friend's October birthday and sometimes again during the holidays. It is a little labor intensive and I am sure quite calorie laden so it is reserved as a treat. Besides, I am not supposed to eat it since it is made with flour.

However, we are having a Halloween party this weekend and I wanted to have a dessert that I could eat. So, I decided to try making the pumpkin roll gluten free. It couldn't have been easier and it couldn't have turned out any better!

How did I do it? I substituted Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix for the flour. That's it! I have had such luck with using Pamela's mix that I am hesitant to even try other gluten free recipe variations. Thanks Pamela!

I can't wait to serve the pumpkin roll at our party and secretly know that it is gluten free because I am sure none of my guests will be able to tell. Happy Halloween!

Libby's Pumpkin Roll Recipe (modified to be gluten free)

Ingredients

* CAKE
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
* 3/4 cup Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
* 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
* FILLING
* 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions
FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour (with Pamela's mix) paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE Pamela's mix, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I was having lunch with a friend last week and it was her birthday the next day. The restaurant gave her a peanut butter cookie to celebrate. She offered me a bite, but I didn't take any. I had managed to eat a salad for lunch and avoided gluten so I wasn't going to spoil it with a cookie. But it did make me crave peanut butter cookies.

So, this weekend I decided to bake some. As is my normal routine these days, I pulled out my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook recipe and simply used Pamela's Baking and Pancake mix instead of flour in the recipe. The cookies turned out GREAT! I don't think anyone could tell they were gluten free.

I have actually had a lot of luck using Pamela's mix, so much so, that I haven't been trying very many other gluten free recipes lately. I just dig out my old favorites and substitute for the flour.

The one recipe I haven't tried yet, pumpkin roll. The same friend mentioned above loves my pumpkin roll (pumpkin sponge cake with cream cheese filling rolled up in it). I think it is an old Libby's recipe. Anyway, I make it for her every year for her birthday, including this year. I always make it with regular flour as she isn't gluten free. But that also means I can't (or shouldn't) eat it.

Maybe this holiday season, I will get brave and try making the cake for myself using Pamela's mix - wouldn't it be great if it turned out just like the original only I could eat it? Well, maybe not -- I bet each slice has a zillion calories! I will let you know if I attempt it.

The other recipe I want to tackle this year? Gluten free Christmas cookies. I tried making them a couple of years ago when I first went gluten free and they were awful! But this year I got a yummy shortbread cookie recipe from GlutenFreeBaking.com. I actually received a batch of these cookies from the recipe author for making a donation to Bloggers Without Borders which was collecting money for fellow blogger In Jennie's Kitchen who recently and suddenly lost her husband. But I digress. I am very hopeful that I can adapt this shortbread recipe to work for my famous Christmas cookies. I miss them and so does my sister who also is gluten free. Wish me luck!