Pumpkin and tea

Yesterday I transformed this pumpkin into


this pumpkin roll. I found the recipe on the internet, but changed it substantially. I made two, this one is to share with you, my dear internet friends, the other is for Thanksgiving dinner dessert. I got a little carried away with the powdered sugar I sprinkled on top, then tried to remove it with a paper towel. Not sure you can see the mess I made, but I skipped that step with the second one.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the baking dish
  
• 7 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large or 4 medium eggs
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin, pureed
• ½ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¾ pound powdered sugar
• 1 pound cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• pre-sifted powdered sugar and a decorative food safe stencil (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
   
2. Butter and flour two 9" X 12" cake pans.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the pumpkin puree, milk, and molasses (the mixture may appear curdled). Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans until they are about ½" high. Smooth the batter out, making sure it is level and even.
   
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, being sure you don't break the cake.
7. While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese filling by placing all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mixing on low speed with an electric mixer until all the ingredients are mixed well.
8. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for several minutes until smooth.
9. When completely cool, spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cake.
10. Gently roll cake into a log.
    
11. Add sifted powdered sugar using a decorative stencil or design.
    
12. Chill.
13. Serve cold.

I paired my pumpkin roll with some Mutan white tea, which is a bit mild and bland for my liking, but went well with the spicy and decadent pumpkin roll. I also used my Grandmother's "Christmas" china. It is called "The Old Curiosity Shop" and the images are different on each of the pieces.

I never much cared for this china, but it was my Grandmother's Christmas favorite when she was alive. She would drag it out for Thanksgiving and Christmas because for some reason, she loved it. So, I have always used it during this time period, too.

This is not a quick or easy recipe, but one would expect nothing less when making it for a holiday celebration. It took over five hours to make it yesterday, including cooling time.

Edited to include a response to Stephanie's question in the comments:

It was very hard to roll this "log" and get it right. I actually broke it several times, and I cracked it in a couple of places. I just made sure I cut it from the end that was not too badly damaged. I took it really slowly and found the secret was to place a lot of the filling on the end where you begin. That gives you more area to begin rolling. You can't roll tightly. The rolling must be loose, so the more cream cheese you place at the beginning end, the better off you are. After the first roll, I broke it. So, I just sort of started over. You might be able to see that from the photo. There's no way to hide the fact that it is in two pieces, once it's cut. To make matters worse, it really doesn't get much easier. I tried to keep the cream cheese mixture at a consistent thickness, which I thought was key. The second (outer) wrap was the one I spent the most time on. Also, the cream cheese mixture was a bit warmer at that point, and I felt it was easier to handle. I have to admit, much like making egg nog, this will probably go on my "did it once, won't do it again" list.


And finally, last week Annette (Voodoo Vixen), a proper Englishwoman, let me know the ONLY way to drink tea was in a tea cup with your pinkie held high in the air. Well, Annette, this one is for you, although I couldn't get my finger very high in the air. At least this cup has a proper handle. Of course, I'm not sure it qualifies as a proper tea cup, though!!

Speaking of tea, if you want to join us each Tuesday, please visit Kimmie. She keeps a list of the tea participants on her sidebar. Your name could be there, too!

Our newest Tea Tuesday participant is Sharon at Liveware Jewelry. Sharon, who lives in Pennsylvania in the US, has a lovely blog that mixes her handmade jewelry with paper arts. She paints, draws, and combines some of these images with her jewelry. She also works in ice resin, a product I hope to pick up after the first of the year. Sharon's art is gorgeous, very artsy, and a lot of fun to look at. Although I don't wear jewelry and probably never will, I certainly admire hers. But her paper art is not to be missed. I hope in your tea travels today, you'll stop by Sharon's Livewire Jewelry. After all, Sharon is my kind of gal: one who drinks more coffee than tea. But, like me, she trades her coffee for tea on Tea Tuesday. Have a great one, my dear friends.