Pumpkin Recipes for Thanksgiving

Fall, harvest, Thanksgiving…pumpkins! For Thanksgiving gatherings, pumpkin pie is a no brainer, but not always the most popular dish. Here are three of my favorite pumpkin recipes for Fall feasting. Even if you think you don't like pumpkin, give them a try; these are fabulous new ways to enjoy the popular Fall crop!

What makes these three recipes stand out is the combination of pumpkin and cream cheese. I turned my nose up at the idea at first, too, but after that first bite, I haven't had a Fall gathering without at least one of these family favorites since! What's more, these recipes mix the pumpkin into a cake-based recipe, which makes the pumpkin flavor a little more dilute than a straight pie and more acceptable to pumpkin nay sayers.

Pumpkin Cake Roll
My sister first brought this to Thanksgiving at my home three years ago. She raved about it, but I didn't touch a morsel of it for two days…until all the chocolate was gone. That morning my husband and I each had a piece with coffee, and fought over the last few crumbs. This recipe is found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1989, Meredith Corporation).

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup flour 1 TSP baking powder
4 egg yolks 1/3 Cup Sugar
½ TSP vanilla 4 egg whites
½ Cup sugar sifted powdered sugar
2 TSP pumpkin pie spice
½ Cup canned pumpkin

Combine flour and baking powder. Add 2 TSP pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a mixing bowl beat egg yolks and vanilla with electric mixer on high for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and beat on high until sugar is dissolved. Stir in ½ cup canned pumpkin. Wash beaters thoroughly.

In another bowl beat egg whites on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add ½ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold yolk mixture into beaten egg whites. Sprinkle flour mixture over egg mixture. Fold gently just until combined.

Spread batter evenly onto a greased and floured 15x10x1 inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until cake center springs back when lightly touched.

Immediately loosen cake edges from pan and turn out onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Starting with one short side of the cake, roll up the towel and cake like a jelly roll. Cool on wire rack. Unroll cake and remove towel. Spread cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to fill, roll up and sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar.
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 3-oz. packages cream cheese ½ Cup Softened margarine or butter
2 TSP vanilla 4 ½ to 4 ¾ cups sifted powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat well. Beat in remaining powdered sugar gradually to reach spreadable consistency. Store in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
This recipe comes from FamilyFun magazine, and can be found on their website, www.familyfun.go.com, as well. They call them 'Pilgrim Pies'. Pumpkin whoopie pies are a great choice for Fall parties and holiday gatherings where kids will be present. They are pretty easy to make and offer a yummy alternative to cupcakes. They were a crowd pleaser at my daughter's November birthday party last year.

Pumpkin Cookies
2 eggs 2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil 1 TSP vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 3 cups flour
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice 1 TSP baking powder
1 TSP baking soda 1 TSP salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in pumpkin. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture half a cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets. Slightly flatten mounds with a moist finger or the back of a spoon. Bake for 12 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

Make the frosting while the cookies cool. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.

To make the pies, spread the flat side of half of the cookies with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting. Top with the remaining cookies. Makes 10 to 14 pies. Store in refrigerator.

Four Layer Pumpkin Cake
This is our absolute favorite Thanksgiving dessert, and is now my husband's birthday cake every November. What's more, it's made using yellow cake mix, so it's easier than cooking from scratch. This recipe is from Kraft's "Food and Family" magazine, Fall 2004 issue. I made it once to try it, and now I use this recipe every chance I get.

1 (2 layer) yellow cake mix 15 oz. can pumpkin, divided
½ Cup milk 1/3 Cup Vegetable oil
4 large eggs 1 ½ pumpkin pie spice, divided
8 oz. package softened cream cheese (they recommend Philadelphia, of course)
1 Cup powdered sugar 8 oz. tub cool whip, thawed
¼ Cup Caramel topping ½ Cup pecans (Planter's recommended)

Preheat oven to 350, grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Beat together cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 TSP pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour half into each pan.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks completely before removing from pans.

Beat cream cheese on medium speed with mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, remaining pumpkin and remaining pie spice. Mix well. Stir in cool whip.

To assemble, cut each cake layer in half horizontally with a large knife (you'll have 4 layers when done). Put the first layer on a plate, spread with 1/3 of the filling, top with the next layer and repeat for each layer. The top layer is left plain. Do not spread filling on the top of the cake. Instead, drizzle caramel topping on the top of the cake and sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.

Those are three of the best ways to serve pumpkin this Thanksgiving. These dessert ideas will serve even those who have sworn off the pie!