Our homemade Pumpkin Roll is an airy fall pumpkin sponge cake around velvety cream cheese filling. It’s an impressive dessert, but don’t be scared away by the presentation! It’s actually so easy to make with our fail-proof jelly roll technique and you can use a regular baking sheet.
This pumpkin cake roll is a lighter crumb cake based on our popular Pumpkin Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting. One bite and you’ll see why our readers can’t get enough pumpkin spice flavor.
We start cranking out pumpkin recipes early and even stock up on Libby’s canned pumpkin puree so we can enjoy recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Waffles year-round. This Pumpkin Roll is a classic and a star among pumpkin recipes. It’s simple to make but it’s a show-stopper for the holidays.
Pumpkin Cake Roll Recipe
Our pumpkin roll is the perfect finish to a Fall gathering and looks great on a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert table because its rolled presentation adds such a fancy touch.
Traditionally, cake rolls are made in jelly roll pans, but when I polled my audience, nearly 80% of you said you would prefer using a standard-sized 13×18 baking sheet because that’s what you have on hand. Therefore, I wrote this for the bigger pan, but you can easily make it in a jelly roll pan for a thicker cake.
Ingredients
It’s easy to whip up this delicious cake with only a few ingredients that you probably have on hand. It’s the perfect way to bring Fall onto your table.
For the Pumpkin Roll
- Powdered sugar – prevents the cake from sticking to the rolling tea towel. Dust by hand or use a fine-mesh strainer to sift the sugar over the towel.
- Flour – all-purpose flour is sifted in this recipe to give the cake an extra light crumb, but enough strength to roll without breaking
- Baking soda and baking powder – we use both leavenings to give the cake an even rise
- Spices – Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt create that Fall flavor. Salt brings out the flavor of the ingredients.
- Eggs – room temperature, to help the cake rise in the oven
- Sugar – holds moisture and sweetens for a light and moist cake layer
- Pumpkin Puree – we love Libby’s brand of pumpkin puree which has the richest color and flavor. If using homemade pumpkin puree, drain it well.
Pro Tip
We only use 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree here, so if you’re using store-bought, we suggest you plan to make soft Pumpkin Cookies with the rest of your can.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream Cheese – We prefer full-fat cream cheese and be sure it’s room temperature so it mixes evenly.
- Butter – unsalted, softened butter
- Powdered Sugar – sweetens the frosting without being overly sweet
- Vanilla extract – flavors the filling, so be sure to use real extract or make your own Vanilla Extract for the best taste
Variations
We love the simplicity of this pumpkin roll recipe, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try adding chopped walnuts or pecans over the batter before it’s baked, like in Libby’s pumpkin roll recipe. You can also add chopped nuts or raisins on top of the frosting before re-rolling it up.
How to Make a Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin rolls are lighter than a traditional cake, so you’ll need to whip the butter and sugar to trap in the air. Add the rest of the ingredients on low speed so as not to deflate the cake. Just follow these easy step-by-step instructions for the perfect pumpkin roll.
Prepare the Pans
- Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F. Grease your 13x18x1 rimmed cookie sheet with butter and line with parchment paper. Then grease and flour the parchment. This cake is very thin once baked, so you want to be sure it doesn’t stick. Dust a clean tea towel with 1/4 cup powdered sugar.
Make the Pumpkin Cake Roll
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. This helps keep the crumb light.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a second large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or stand mixer with a whisk attachment) for 5 minutes until it’s light, fluffy, and thickened. Add the pumpkin puree on low speed then add the flour mixture on low speed, mixing just until incorporated.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan with an offset spatula. It will be very thin. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until it springs back when touched. Immediately, turn the cake onto the sugared towel and carefully remove the parchment. Roll the cake and towel gently into a log starting at the shortest end. Let cool completely seam-side down on a wire rack for about 1 1/2 hours.
Pro Tip
The secret of how to roll a pumpkin roll is simple: roll the cake up immediately while hot and pliable (watch the video tutorial above to see my technique). Then, let it cool completely rolled up and it will keep its form. If the cake is unrolled before cooling, the cake could crack or be gummy and the icing could melt.
