Start a new holiday tradition with the Pumpkin Pecan Roll. It is beautiful enough for a table centerpiece, easy enough to prepare anytime (and lots of times!), light enough for teatime, and healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast! Thatโs right, our Pumpkin Pecan Roll is made without flour (or gluten). Make it dairy-free by using coconut whipped cream in the center.
Go nuts!
Instead of using flour, our Pumpkin Pecan Roll uses nut meal. Gluten is often an allergen, and flour is considered “empty calories.” Nuts are a superior substitute. They are packed with protein and delicious, healthy fat. In fact, because we use nuts, we can also omit butter in our cake but still have a rich, moist flavor. What a win!
Just about any type of nut flour will work: almond, walnut, pecan, and hazelnuts are all good choices. Pick one or use a combination. When I bake this cake, I often use almond flour, because it is so easy to find in grocery stores, pre-ground, and called “almond meal” or “almond flour.” I add chopped pecans to the batter for flavor and texture.
You can prepare your own nut flour by grinding raw, unsalted nuts in the food processor until they become a meal, like breadcrumbs in consistency. Be careful not to over-process the nuts, because as you continue to chop, the nuts will begin to release their oils, and you’ll end up with nut butter instead of nut flour!
Light as Air
Even though this cake uses rich nut flour, it still can be very light. After a heavy holiday meal, isn’t it nice to end with something as light as it is flavorful?
To achieve the cloudlike texture of the cake, we separate the egg whites and yolks and beat each to achieve maximum pillowy airiness.
Make your Pumpkin Pecan Roll a Showstopper
A dusting of powdered sugar will do it! Or, go all-out and make chocolate leaves to decorate your roll. You can also decorate with chopped nuts, or nut brittle, or chocolate covered nuts. Have fun with it!
We make chocolate leaves by melting chocolate over a double-boiler. Next, temper the chocolate by using the “seeding method.” Here, you introduce chopped chocolate to cooled melted chocolate. This will preserve the molecular structure of the chocolate so that it will snap when cool.
Use a piping bag, snipped plastic bag, or spoon to create any chocolate shape you like. Then, place the finishing touches on your cake!
Enjoy your Pumpkin Pecan Roll anytime!
It’s really guilt-free, isn’t it?
