Pumpkin roll recipe makes a moist pumpkin spice cake roll that’s filled with light and fluffy cream cheese frosting.
This pumpkin roll recipe makes a moist pumpkin spice cake that’s filled with a fluffy cream cheese frosting. The cake makes a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving dinner, and it’s a wonderful choice for the cake-lovers in the family.
The cake is a show-stopper, but it is not difficult to make. I’ve included step-by-step photos and plenty of tips and information to help you make the cake perfectly your first time through.
Ingredients
- Powdered sugar – Be generous with the powdered sugar! It’s better to shake a little off at the end than not to use enough.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice – If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own homemade blend with this recipe.
- Salt
- Large eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
- Cream cheese – I recommend full-fat cream cheese in the frosting. Sometimes reduced-fat cream cheeses have a tendency to be softer and not set as well. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.
- Butter – I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch or two of salt to the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Using heavy cream makes the frosting lighter and fluffier. You can use milk if you prefer, but the frosting won’t be quite a light or as fluffy.
- Vanilla extract
How to make a pumpkin roll
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a 10×15-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper.
Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Set aside.
Beat eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until well-combined.
Mix in pumpkin purée.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Spread the pumpkin cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when touched.
Immediately place the towel, powered sugar side down, on top of the cake. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the towel.
Invert, and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Place seam side down, and cool completely on wire rack.
To make the cream cheese filling, beat cream cheese and butter together for 30 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low for 30 seconds.
Increase speed to high, and continue beating until well-combined.
Carefully unroll cake.
Spread cream cheese mixture over cake.
Reroll cake, seam side down. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.
Top tips and FAQs
I recommend using a thin, lint-free towel, like a flour sack towel. Thick, fluffy towels may be great for the bath, but you don’t want fuzz all over the cake. Also, I recommend laundering the towel with a fragrance-free soap so that you don’t have laundry fragrance seep into your cake.
Work quickly while the pumpkin cake is hot and don’t fuss with it any more than is necessary. The wire cooling rack also helps to support the hot cake and keep it from cracking as you flip the cake.
A jelly roll pan is a 10×15-inch rectangular pan with low edges.
You do. The parchment paper assures that the cake will turn out of the pan in one piece. No matter how well you grease and flour a pan, you’ll run the risk that part of the cake may still stick unless you line the pan with parchment paper.
You can! If freezing the cake, I would recommend wrapping the cake in a second layer of plastic wrap (or in heavy-duty plastic wrap) and then in a layer of foil. The cake can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve, slice the frozen cake and let it come up in temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving.
The cake will slice neatly after it has been chilled. I like to use a serrated (bread) knife to slice the cake without smashing it.
How to store
A pumpkin roll cake is best stored, covered, in the refrigerator. The cake will keep for 2-3 days when properly stored.
You can also freeze the cake. Check out my notes above about freezing the cake.
More pumpkin dessert recipes!
Pumpkin Roll Cake
Equipment
- Jelly roll pan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar to sprinkle on towel
CAKE
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin purée
FROSTING
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a 10×15-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper.
- Sift 1/4 cup powdered sugar onto a thin, cotton kitchen towel Set aside.
- Beat eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until well-combined.
- Mix in pumpkin purée.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
- Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when touched.
- Immediately place the towel, powered sugar side down, on top of the cake.
- Place a wire cooling rack on top of the towel.
- Invert, and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end.
- Place seam side down, and cool completely on wire rack.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together for 30 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla extract.
- Beat on low for 30 seconds.
- Increase speed to high, and continue beating until well-combined.
- Carefully unroll cake.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over cake, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edge.
- Reroll cake, seam side down.
- Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour. The cake can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 1 month at this point.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Pumpkin pie spice – If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own homemade blend with this recipe.
- Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
- Cream cheese – I recommend full-fat cream cheese in the frosting. Sometimes reduced-fat cream cheeses have a tendency to be softer and not set as well. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.
- Butter – I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch or two of salt to the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Using heavy cream makes the frosting lighter and fluffier. You can use milk if you prefer, but the frosting won’t be quite a light or as fluffy.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Linda says
This was so good, I say was because it didn’t last long. I’m making another one for Thanksgiving.
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving!