Ina Garten's favorite pumpkin recipe isn't a pumpkin pie. And it's definitely not a pumpkin spice latte — that drink is actually on the Barefoot Contessa's naughty list.
The Food Network star and TODAY regular goes all out with every dish she makes. It's one of the reasons we love her. When it comes to fall desserts, Garten's favorite is no different.
While we're sure she could de-vine, cook and mash fresh pumpkins for a creamy pumpkin pie made from scratch (which is no doubt how she does it), this contessa fancies something a little, well, fancier on Thanksgiving.
On Thursday, Garten shared a recipe on her blog titled "Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream" and called it her "all-time favorite" pumpkin dessert. The cookbook author described this decadent treat as a "pumpkin sponge cake filled with rich Italian mascarpone and crystallized ginger cream." And the rolled up swirls look absolutely divine.
Luckily for all the food-loving amateurs out there, despite the roulade's elaborate presentation, it's pretty simple to make ... so Garten says.
The trick to rolling the moist cake into its log-like shape swirled with cream actually requires a surprising kitchen tool almost everyone has on hand: a cotton dish towel!
As soon as the pumpkin cake (which is made with warm fall spices like ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon) is done baking, Garten inverts it onto a dish towel and gently rolls it up. This makes it easy to unroll once cooled and re-roll it with the filling, which is made from Italian mascarpone cheese, heavy cream and minced crystalized ginger.
Looking to enjoy Garten's favorite dessert with more of her favorite fall dishes? Try these!
