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You are going to love this Easy Pumpkin Roll Recipe! Everyone loves digging into a classic pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. It will be perfect for your holiday celebrations or just because.
I make a Pumpkin Roll every year and friends and family look forward to it. The creamy filling and luscious pumpkin cake make it the best pumpkin roll. Each slice is so pretty with the swirl of cream cheese filling for a stunning dessert.
If you love pumpkin desserts as much as we do, make Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Libby’s Pumpkin Bread Recipe and Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- Pumpkin flavor. If you love all things pumpkin, this is a must try.
- Quick and Simple. While it looks fancy, this recipe is very easy to make.
- Rich filling. The creamy filling makes each bite divine.
Tools for making the perfect Pumpkin Roll:
If I can be successful in making this pumpkin roll, I know you will be able to do it well, too. Here are a few of the tools I used to make this successful:
- jelly roll pan (aka large cookie sheet with small sides)
- silicone baking mat
- icing spatula
Easy Pumpkin Roll Ingredients:
Cake:
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Canned Pumpkin
Filling:
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Confectioner’s Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Scroll to the bottom and find the complete list of ingredients in the recipe card.
Variations
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree. Swap the store-bought pumpkin for homemade pumpkin puree.
Step by Step instructions
- Step 1. Preheat oven to 375. Place the silicone baking mat inside your 10-inch jelly roll pan. If you don’t have a silicone baking mat, line your pan with parchment paper and spray well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla with a stand mixer. Add pumpkin and slowly incorporate into mixture.
Step 3. Once the pumpkin mixture is combined, get out a separate bowl. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
Step 4. Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Stir until just blended in a large mixing bowl. Do not over mix.
Step 5. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the center of cake springs back when touched.
Step 6. Layout a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle well with powdered sugar. Place cooked cake roll on top of the prepared towel.
Step 7. Starting on the small end, roll up the cake inside the towel. You do this just to get the cake to cool in the final shape. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
Step 8. Now you are ready to make the filling. Use an electric mixer to blend together butter, vanilla, and cream cheese. Slowly mix in powdered sugar.
Step 9. Carefully unroll cake. Spread the batter all over the top side of the cake.
Step 10. Roll the cake back up. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 11. Now your pumpkin roll is ready to slice and serve.
Tips for Success
- Don’t overmix the batter. The texture will not be as soft and fluffy.
- Allow the cake roll to cool. Don’t add the filling until the cake has cooled.
- Roll in a towel to hold the shape. This will help the cake form the roll shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freezing your pumpkin roll is easy to do. You will wrap your pumpkin roll in a plastic wrap tightly. Then wrap again with foil.
Your pumpkin roll last about 1 month in the freezer.
When you are ready to serve, remove from the freeze and let it thaw to room temperature. It will take about 1 hour to unthaw.
Pumpkin rolls freeze beautifully. I like to make a couple extra of them so that I can pop the extras in the freezer for when guests come over or when I need something for a potluck.
They can last for up to a month in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve them, let it thaw for about an hour then slice it and serve!
Due to the cream cheese frosting, you need to store any leftover pumpkin roll in the fridge. They can last in the refrigerator for a couple of days, if you can keep from eating it that long!
I’ve heard over and over how people stray away from making a pumpkin roll because they can’t get it to roll without cracking. All it takes is one quick and simple tip to get the perfect pumpkin roll every time!
Most of the time your pumpkin roll will crack if you’ve let it cool to room temperature before you begin to roll it. I suggest that you roll the pumpkin cake into a prepared tea towel as soon as it comes out of the oven and is cool enough for you to touch it.
You want it to still be pretty warm when you roll it up in the tea towel. The heat and moisture from the cooling cake helps it keep its shape and remain crack free.
You want to make sure your cake is warm before beginning to roll it. Prepare your area with a kitchen towel that has been dusted with powdered sugar. Carefully put your warm cake on the towel and remove the parchment paper.
You will then begin rolling the cake, keeping the seam side down so that it stays. It will definitely feel odd rolling the cake, but the warmth of the cake will keep it together.
If you wait until the cake is cool, it will dry out the cake and that is when it will start cracking.
Try these other easy pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Crock pot Pumpkin Butter
Please try this classic Pumpkin Roll Recipe and let us know what you think. Leave a comment and star recipe rating. It is so fun to hear from you!
Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (Make sure you also see how to make pumpkin puree easily to save you money.)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the Filling:
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 375. Place the silicone baking mat inside your jelly roll pan. If you don’t have a silicone baking mat, line your pan with parchment paper and spray well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add pumpkin and slowly incorporate into mixture.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Stir until just blended. Do not over mix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until center of cake springs back when touched.
- Lay out a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle well with powdered sugar. Place cooked cake on top of prepared towel. Starting on the small end, roll up the cake inside the towel. You do this just to get the cake to cool in the final shape. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the Filling:
- Use an electric mixer to blend together butter, vanilla and cream cheese. Slowly mix in powdered sugar.
- Unroll cake. Spread the cream cheese filling all over the top side of the cake.
- Roll the cake back up. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Slice and serve.
