Butternut Squash Cake Roll

The Mission: Since my first butternut squash recipe turned out to be a flop, I decided to try a second recipe. This time instead of making a side-dish, I went for a dessert. mmmmm......dessert...... This is a great way to use up a little bit of extra squash - the recipe only calls for 2/3 cup of mashed squash. So, it's definitely a recipe to use when you're already planning on doing something else with your butternut of goodness.

The Recipe: I was looking through my Taste of Home magazines to find an interesting recipe to make for dinner this week when I stumbled upon a fabulous picture of a cake roll - and to my delight it called for Butternut Squash which just so happens to be the ingredient for the current recipe challenge. Hooray! I hope mine turns out as pretty as the picture in the magazine....

The Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup mashed cooked butternut squash

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

Confectioners' Sugar

Filling:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. butter, softened (I used real butter, not margarine)

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Additional confectioners' sugar optional

Instructions: In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs; gradually beat in sugar. Add squash and mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; add to squash mixture and mix well.

Line a 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. Spread batter evening into pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 375* for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Turn cake onto a kitchen towel that has been dushed with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off wax paper. Roll up cake in the towl, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on wire rack.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Unroll cake; spread filling evenly over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Just before serving, dush with confectiners' sugar if desired. Makes 10 servings.

The Result: Wow. The cake turned out fabulous! I have learned that my oven is a bit testy and tends to overbake my baked goods, so I only put the cake in for 11 minutes until it was done. I didn't have quite enough confectioners' sugar dusted onto my kitchen towel, so I ended up with a small bare spot on the cake because it peeled off. Oh well - it turned out alright in the end!

The Reviews: I ended up taking the Roll to a gathering on Sunday night. Everyone who tried it really liked it. (My husband doesn't care for cream cheese stuff, so he didn't eat the filling, but liked the cake part.) I had a few comments on how it was similar to a Pumpkin Roll, but that was to be expected. I was very pleased with the rave reviews it got - I even had one friend chastise my husband for not liking it! Hahaha. This recipe is definitely a keeper :)