Recipe for Pumpkin Cake follows this story.

The two women sat across the kitchen table from one another; Ginny held an awaiting pencil over her pad to take down Ethel’s dictation. Planning Thanksgiving dinner was a challenge. It was less than a week away and both women were determined to make it perfect. Ethel rattled off the givens: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, stopping with a question when Ginny needed to weigh in. “You want regular sauce or cranberry compote?”

“I love the compote but the children prefer plain cranberry sauce, so let’s go with the sauce this year. Did you preserve any of the compote?”

She rocked her head. “It doan, let me see, I might still have a jar in the ice box.”

Pulling herself out the chair, she waddled over to the refrigerator, rooted around to produce a full jar. “Bless my soul.” I never,” she opened the jar to sniff, “right is rain. Not one sugar crystal. Good as when I made it,” she smacked her lips.

Sallee and Helen appeared looking interested. “What are you doing?” Helen asked.

Ginny chirped, “Planning Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Oh, oh can we help?” Excited at the prospect, Sallee pulled out a chair, sat and made ready to offer her opinion.

Helen stood by with pursed lips, “I think, chocolate bread pudding would be the perfect dessert. Don’t you think?”

“Bread pudding is too heavy with potatoes and stuffing.” Ginny looked at Ethel for confirmation.

Undeterred Helen offered up a compromise, “Let’s get rid of the stuffing.”

From the shock on Sallee’s face, Helen might had suggested foregoing the turkey. “We can’t not have stuffing,” she blustered.

“How about for dessert tonight?” Ginny suggested as she scribbled on her pad. “There is some stale bread, isn’t there?”

Ethel nodded in the affirmative.

“Ewww, stale bread,” Sallee mewled.

“Hush,” the other three snapped in unison.

“Okay,then we can have that yummy pumpkin cake instead of pie for Thanksgiving. The roll kind. With caramel drizzly stuff..”

 

Rolled Pumpkin Cake with Carmel Drizzly Stuff

Grease and flour a large sheet pan. Line with waxed paper . Preheat oven to 375°

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 t. baking soda
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/2 ginger
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of oil

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix pumpkin and oil then beat in one egg at a time and dry ingredients. Spread on prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes.  Immediately turn out on a dish towel, take off wax paper and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Roll up in the towel to cool.

Icing

• 1/2 box confectioner’s sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 stick of soft  butter
• 4 oz soft cream cheese

Beat until  soft and spreadable. Unroll cooled cake,  frost, reroll and store in ice box until ready to serve.

Carmel Drizzly Stuff

• 3/4 cup each of  butter, sugar, brown sugar, and cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

Put everything except for the vanilla, in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Cook until thickened and comes to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

To serve, drizzle caramel sauce over lightly the pumpkin cake.

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