This delightful Pumpkin Roll dessert brings together that classic fall taste in a beautiful, impressive presentation!
Spiced Pumpkin Crumb Cake and Apple Bundt Cake With Apple Cider Caramel Sauce are two of our fall favorites, but our top dessert is this delicious Pumpkin Roll! It is simple, yet beautiful.
Perfect Pumpkin Treat
Of course when fall hits we are all about pumpkin here at our house. Whether it’s pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread, we love it all!
This Pumpkin Roll is a perfect treat to add to the line up. It starts with a moist and delicious jelly roll pumpkin cake and finishes off with a deliciously tangy cream cheese filling. It is a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
If you want to mix up the Thanksgiving desserts this is a great addition to the spread. Growing up, my mom always made this around Christmas as well. It has become a family tradition of pumpkin goodness! Be sure to check out the tips to achieve a perfectly beautiful roll!
How to make pumpkin rolls
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
BATTER. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on high for five minutes. Add the sugar, pumpkin puree, and lemon juice, and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
BAKE. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the top springs back when touched lightly. Sprinkle a dish towel liberally with powdered sugar. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it, then carefully turn the cake out onto the dish towel. Remove the parchment paper. Roll the cake up in the towel, starting from one of the short sides, and let cool completely (about 25-30 minutes).
Pumpkin Roll Filling
FILLING. While the cake is cooling, make the filling by beating together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy.
ROLL. Unroll the cooled cake, and spread the filling over the cake in an even layer, leaving about one inch on the edges of the cake unfrosted. Roll up the cake around the filling (without the dish towel). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
SERVE. When ready to serve, dust the cake with powdered sugar and cut into slices.
Recipe Tips
- Puree: Be sure to use pure pumpkin or pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which is sweeter and already has spices added to it.
- Parchment Paper Hack: If your parchment paper is sliding around on the jelly roll pan add a few drops of water underneath it to help it stick and stay in place before you pour your batter on it.
- Removing from Pan: Be careful when you remove the cake from the pan to roll it up – it will be hot. Oven mitts are suggested.
- Rolling the Cake: Instead of a towel you can roll the cake in wax or parchment paper generously dusted with powdered sugar. Just be sure the length of the paper is a little bigger than your cake.
- Invert It: If your cake is browned on the bottom you can invert it onto a new sheet of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray so the top of the cake will be what you see on the outside of your roll.
- Show Off the Swirls: Take a small slice off the ends of your cake just before serving it to show off the pretty swirls a little more.
Variations
- Sprinkle a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans over the cake batter before baking for a bit of crunch.
- Add nuts to the filling instead.
- For cinnamon lovers add a little extra to your filling before mixing it up.
Storing Info
STORE pumpkin roll wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To FREEZE leftover cake wrap it tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If cake has been frozen, thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and then serve. Warming it in the oven directly from the freezer can dry it out.
For More tasty pumpkin treats, try:
- Pumpkin Bread
- Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes With Gingersnap Crusts
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Powdered sugar - for dusting
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoons butter - softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on high for five minutes. Add the sugar, pumpkin puree, and lemon juice, and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the top springs back when touched lightly. Sprinkle a dish towel liberally with powdered sugar. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it, then carefully turn the cake out onto the dish towel. Remove the parchment paper. Roll the cake up in the towel, starting from one of the short sides, and let cool completely (about 25-30 minutes).
- While the cake is cooling, make the filling by beating together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy.
- Unroll the cooled cake, and spread the filling over the cake in an even layer, leaving about one inch on the edges of the cake unfrosted. Roll up the cake around the filling (without the dish towel). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to serve, dust the cake with powdered sugar and cut into slices.
One of my family’s favorites! We love this recipe! This pumpkin roll is incredibly delicious! Rich, and full of wonderful pumpkin and cream cheese frosting flavor!
The frosting is what makes it!
We always have a pumpkin roll for the holidays and I love this recipe. The cake is super tender and the filling is perfectly fluffy and sweet!
What a great tradition.
This pumpkin roll is absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving!
It’s going to be a hit at your Turkey Day table!