Ingredients:
For Cake:
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 6 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) plus 3 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon dark or black cocoa powder, sifted
- orange food coloring, optional
For Filling:
- 3/4 cup plus 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) mascarpone or cream cheese, at room temperature
- pinch salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray, then line bottom with parchment paper (if you want to trace a design template, do so with thick pencil lines on the back of the parchment paper before placing it in the pan). I also recommend leaving a bit of an overhang on opposite edges of the pan: this will make it easier to lift the cake out later.
- Separate eggs and set egg whites aside. Place yolks in a mixing bowl. Add 6 tablespoons sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and yolks are lightened in color. Drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly, until incorporated. Whisk in pumpkin and vanilla.
- In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of cake flour, salt, and spices. Sprinkle over batter and fold until incorporated. (At this point you should have about 12 ounces, or just over 1 1/3 cups of batter). From here we will split up the batter to create the multi-colored stripes (if you don’t want stripes, skip steps 4, 5, 8, and 10-14.).
- Measure out 4 1/2 ounces of batter (a generous 1/2 cup) into a clean bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of sifted cake flour and 1 tablespoon of sifted cocoa powder and stir to combine.
- Spoon out another 1 1/2 ounces (about 3 tablespoons worth) into another small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and a few drops of orange food coloring and mix well.
- Add 2 tablespoons of whole milk to main bowl of batter and whisk until just incorporated.
- In a clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until whites hold medium peaks.
- Fold a heaping tablespoonful of egg whites into bowl with orange colored batter; fold until incorporated. Fold about 3 tablespoonfuls of egg whites into bowl with chocolate batter, again folding until no streaks of white remain.
- Fold half of remaining egg whites into main bowl of batter to lighten it, then add the remaining egg whites and fold until just incorporated.
- Transfer orange batter to a small piping bag fitted with a #5 round tip (you can also use a zippered sandwich bag). Transfer the chocolate batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 round tip (#2A).
- Using the chocolate batter, pipe diagonal stripes of batter on prepared jelly roll pan. Keep your piping bag moving fairly briskly for straighter lines. I piped about 9 diagonal stripes about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Using the smaller bag of orange batter, pipe thin stripes between each chocolate stripe.
- Place jelly roll pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to let the stripes set.
- Pour remaining batter over top of stripes, spreading the batter into an even layer using a large offset spatula.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until top is springy and edges are just barely starting to brown.
- Remove from oven. Carefully lift out warm cake and invert it onto another piece of parchment paper. Peel off parchment paper backing, revealing the striped design. Liberally dust a clean tea towel with powdered sugar, then flip the cake layer onto the towel, striped side down (the outside of the cake roll should showcase the pretty stripes, just be sure that side is facing down).
- Carefully roll up the warm cake in the towel. You want to roll it up fairly tightly; doing so will give the cake a ‘muscle memory’ and allow you to roll it up later with the filling without it cracking.
- Let rolled cake cool for about 1 hour or until completely cooled. Meanwhile, get your mascarpone out and let it fully come to room temperature.
- To make filling, place 3/4 cup of cold whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until cream falls in soft folds. Add sifted powdered sugar, then continue to beat until cream holds medium-stiff peaks (take care not to overbeat).
- In another bowl, combine mascarpone with salt and a splash of cream to loosen. Add a few spoonfuls of whipped cream and mix until combined, then fold in remaining whipped cream until smooth.
- Carefully unroll cake. You may need to hold it with your hand as it will try to roll back up (see, muscle memory!) Spread filling into a thin even layer over the whole cake, leaving about 1/2 inch bare at the far end. You may not need all of the filling, depending on how thick you want it.
- Gently roll up the whole cake, taking care to create a tight roll but not so tight that it squeezes out the filling. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until filling is set (this will make for cleaner slices). If you happen to have a spare mailing tube handy, cut it in half lengthwise to form a half circle. Place your cake roll in the tube to keep the bottom from flattening out as it chills.
- Cut into slices with a sharp knife (use one clean motion to cut, try not to ‘saw’ it) and serve. Cake roll will keep, tightly wrapped and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.