Susan Hart: Pumpkin roulade with caramelized bananas - gluten free

I apologize. I was NOT going to let myself do another pumpkin recipe in November. I was going to have a recipe for cinnamon rolls. But then, I saw the pie pumpkins at the grocery store, and one thing led to another. I started thinking about a pumpkin dessert that wasn't pie, or flan, and I found a pumpkin sponge cake recipe on-line on Krissy's Creations that I tweaked a bit. I changed the filling, added the bananas and voila! Friends are raving. The cinnamon rolls will have to wait until January. Enjoy!

Gluten-free Pumpkin Sponge Cake Roulade with Caramelized Bananas

3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (Krissy likes King Arthur brand)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

Parchment paper

Large dish towel, not textured or grooved

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Cream cheese filling

8 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup whipping cream

Caramelized Bananas

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 bananas, ripe but firm, sliced

2 tablespoons rum or liqueur

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with sides with parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices and salt together in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is slightly thickened and light yellow in color. Add the pumpkin puree and mix at medium speed; add the flour mixture and mix at medium speed.

Pour the batter into the paper-lined pan and smooth the batter with a spatula until the batter touches the sides. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cake springs back to the touch.

While the cake is baking, lay the dish towel flat and sprinkle it with the 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. When the cake is done baking, immediately remove it from the pan and flip it face down onto the dish towel. Peel the parchment paper off and roll the cake up with the dish towel. Let the cake cool, rolled up, for 2 hours.

While the cake is cooling, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the cream, which will whip as it mixes with the cream cheese.

When the cake is cool, unroll it gently, spread the filling over it, and re-roll the cake. Place it on a serving dish, seam side down.

About ten minutes before you are ready to serve the cake, caramelize the bananas. First, melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the brown sugar and mix it with the butter. Add the banana slices and stir them gently until they are coated with the brown sugar mixture, and cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Add the rum, stir gently again, and serve the bananas hot on top of each serving of pumpkin roulade.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Carson City's gluten-free discussion group is now meeting quarterly rather than monthly. The next meeting will be held on the second Monday in January. Drop me an email if you have questions, and check the group's blogspot at ccgfree.com for updates.

• Susan Hart has been cooking gluten-free for 15 years. She can be reached at glutenfree.hart@gmail.com.