Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 cups flour
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (browned)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Method:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 1/2 size sheet pan (18x13 inch) with baking spray then line it with parchment and spray again.
Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Scrape down the edges as needed. Add the vanilla, molasses and milk and mix until smooth. Add the spices, baking soda and salt and combine. Add the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Make sure to scrape down the edges. Pour the batter onto the baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until it is just set and the edges start to pull away from the sides. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, carefully dump the cake onto a dish towel sprinkled with a little powdered sugar. Remove the parchment. Roll carefully starting with the short side. Let it cool completely.
Make the frosting. Brown the butter by placing the butter in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium low, stirring occasionally until the butter smells nutty and is deep amber in color. Don't burn it! Set aside to cool completely. It should be the texture of softened butter.
Soften the cream cheese. Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla and mix slowly until combined, then whisk until light and fluffy. Start with 3 cups of powdered sugar, add more as needed for a thicker consistency.
Once the cake is cooled, carefully unroll it from the tea towel. Use about 1/3 of the frosting for the inside. Spread evenly. Roll back the same way as before, keeping the roll snug. Use the towel to help do this gently. Slice on an angle about 1/3 the way down. Angle it like a branch on a cake plate and frost!
Decorate with some merenge mushrooms, recipe linked here! I need about 1/2 the recipe for this amount of mushrooms, baked for 15 minutes since the shapes are small. Use the extra frosting to stick the cap and stem together. I used a sharp serrated knife to cut the top off thr stem before attaching it to the cap. Enjoy!