Tuesday's Twist: Twisted Pumpkin Spice Cake

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

This cake has a few more twists than meet the eye.  I've always wanted to make a rolled pumpkin cake and Tuesday's Twist seemed like the perfect excuse.  Of course, just having a twisty spiral appearance wasn't enough of a twist for me.

Before making Joy the Baker's sweet potato pie, I had only used coriander in savory applications, usually paired with cumin.  One forkful and I was convinced that coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg are a winning combination.  I was so intrigued by this new discovery that I had to try it again, this time without hesitation.

Just to throw in one more twist, the inside layer isn't your typical cream cheese filling.  Remember Tofu Tuesdays way back when all this started?  I discovered half a box of tofu hiding in the far back corner of my fridge and turned it into a creamy maple filling.  I know, I know.  But really, you should know me by now.  Feel free to use a traditional cream cheese filling, just don't leave the coriander out of the cake.

I was a bit nervous about rolling a cake.  I've done it with a sheet pan of angel food cake before, but somehow knowing I would have to take a picture made it a little more intimidating.  Thankfully the twisting and rolling went much better than anticipated.  I was short on time and only refrigerated the filled cake one hour before cutting the slice pictured here.  Taste, texture, and appearance improve immensely as the cake ages.  It was so much better the next day I considered making a second cake just to show you the difference.  Seeing as I had just made the sweet potato pie and then this cake, I decided these pictures would have to suffice.

Sweet, creamy maple filling is rolled into a moist, spiced pumpkin cake.  Greek yogurt adds a slight tang to the smooth center while coriander adds an enlightening depth of flavor to the traditional spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.  

Twisted Pumpkin Spice Cake
cake adapted from Libby's

Cake:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp coriander
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar, for dusting

Filling:
9 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 (6 oz) container fat-free plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple extract

Instructions:
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray; line with waxed paper.  Grease and flour waxed paper; set aside.
* In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander; set aside.
* In a large bowl beat eggs and granulated sugar on high until thick, creamy and lemon-colored, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla.  Fold in flour mixture.
* Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 13-15 minutes or until top springs back when touched. Immediately loosen edges of cake with a knife.  Liberally sprinkle entire surface of cake with powdered sugar. Place a clean kitchen towel over cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Turn cake and towel onto a board and peel off waxed paper.  Roll up cake and towel starting at the narrow end. Let cool on wire rack 1 hour.
*Meanwhile, for the filling, in a food processor combine tofu and yogurt; process until smooth.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and maple extract; process to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
* When cake is cool, carefully unroll cake and towel. Spread with filling and re-roll cake, leaving towel behind. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight before slicing. Garnish with additional powdered sugar, if desired.

Food for Thought: "We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all." -Eleanor Roosevelt