The Not So Great Pumpkin Roll

I had hopes to amaze you with pictures of a perfectly baked Pumpkin Roll when I set out today, but instead I will amuse you with what went wrong this time.

I must confess, I have NEVER had success with making this particular autumn dessert, so I don't know why I expected it to be any different this time. Anyway, I thought I had all my bases covered today by having the proper size jelly roll pan, and a good amount of powdered sugar sprinkled over a kitchen towel, which no doubt the lack of before, had previously contributed to my earlier failures.

It all started out so well, me using my favorite rubber spatula (in a shade of pumpkin), to add the Libby's 100% pure pumpkin to the mixture of 3 eggs and 1 cup of sugar.

It was heavenly though, with the whir of my blender releasing that wonderful pumpkin aroma.

Unfortunately, this was where I made my mistake this time. The recipe called for just 2/3 cup of the Libby's 100% pure pumpkin . . . not the entire 29-1/2 oz. can . . . Oops!!!

That's why it wasn't ready in the 13-15 min. at 375 degrees, baking time. And that's when I realized my mistake. So it cooked for say, 40 minutes, or so. I don't know why I just didn't stop right then. Thinking I could salvage it, I went on to the next step after I took it out of the oven, which was to roll it up while it was still warm, onto my waiting kitchen towel and let it cool on a rack.

The next step was to unroll it and add the cream cheese spread to the top.

And then roll it back up and stick it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for at least an hour.

This is where I had planned to insert the final picture, with a couple slices displayed that would reveal a perfect swirl of filling for you to oooh and aaaah over. But instead you get this.

Pumpkin pudding, slightly warmed because even the microwave couldn't fix it.