Carrot Cake Roll For The Win!

So I still had carrots and needed a dessert for our Easter dinner. I again knew that I did not want to bake a carrot cake and thought a roll would be easy and nice addition to the blog. I think it came out pretty great.

Delicious carrot cake roll with pistachios

Here's what you will need.

INGREDIENTS:

CARROT CAKE ROLL 

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots (about 2-3 medium carrots)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar for rolling

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO MAKE THE CARROT CAKE ROLL:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper, leaving an extra 1-inch of parchment sticking up on both 15-inch sides of the pan so that you can easily lift the cake out after baking.  (If you'd like the parchment to stick to the bottom of the pan more easily, sprinkle a little bit of water on the pan and then press the parchment paper on top of it.  You can also lightly mist the top of the parchment paper with cooking spray for easier cake release afterwards, although it's not required.)


Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves (if using) in medium bowl until combined.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar for 1 minute until thick.

It should look like this

Add in the oil, vanilla and shredded carrots, and whisk until just combined.

Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula, and stir together until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in a 375F oven, or until top of cake springs back when touched.
Carefully lift the parchment paper and cake out onto a flat (and heat-safe) surface.


Then slowly, roll the cake -- rolling from the short end to the short end -- until it is completely rolled up.

Transfer the cake roll to a wire rack, and cool until it reaches room temperature.

While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese filling.

Place your butter in a mixing bowl and mix for about 5 minutes on medium speed, the butter will turn into a pale yellow color.

Then add one package of cream cheese (8oz) and whip on large for 2-3 minutes.

Now add 1 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar and blend to combine.

You should be left with a smooth cream cheese mixture

When the cake has reached room temperature, transfer the cake roll to a flat surface, and carefully it until it is flat again (or mostly flat, it's ok if the ends curl up a bit). Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over cake. I added leftover pistachio crumbs, just for an extra crunchy texture.

Then carefully re-roll the cake, gently peeling away the parchment paper as you roll until you can completely remove and discard it.

Tightly wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

Remove and unwrap the pumpkin roll and transfer it to your serving dish. Lightly dust the pumpkin roll on all sides with powdered sugar, if you would like.

 Then slice and serve.

sit back and enjoy your easter treat

If you have leftovers, just re-wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.