I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. Like pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll is a classic fall dessert. But unlike its pie counterpart, its swirled presentation is particularly show stopping and impressive. While this rolled cake isn’t a difficult recipe, making jelly roll cakes can seem intimidating. After all, cake rolls look complicated. A rolled-up cake…what?
Tell Me About This Pumpkin Roll
Flavor: This pumpkin roll is full of spiced pumpkin flavor that pairs beautifully with the tangy cream cheese frosting inside. Texture: Enjoy a soft and moist cake, plus cool, creamy, silky cream cheese frosting in every single bite. What a pair! Ease: Did you know that pumpkin roll is actually rolled… twice? The first time you roll the cake, it must be warm to establish the shape. You can see more on that in “Roll the Cake While It’s Warm” below. Cool the cake in this rolled-up shape, and then unroll, fill with frosting, and then roll back up. If you’ve made my chocolate cake roll before, you’re familiar with the process. Time: The batter is fairly quick to prepare, and since this cake is so thin, it has a much shorter bake time than regular pumpkin cake. The shaped roll does need to cool down for a few hours before unrolling, frosting, and rolling back up, so be sure to leave enough time.
A Few Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Roll
Flour: Because of the thick and wet batter, we use sturdy all-purpose flour instead of cake flour for the base. Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice: These are pumpkin’s favorite spices and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! But instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Sometimes I use closer to 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin: We can’t have pumpkin roll without pumpkin! If desired, you can use fresh pumpkin puree, but I really do recommend canned pumpkin puree if it’s available to you. I usually use Libby’s brand in this recipe. You’ll have some pumpkin puree left over in the can, and you can use it up in one of these recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
**You’ll notice this pumpkin batter is made without butter or oil. Why? We’re keeping this cake light and spongy so it can easily roll up.
Here’s How You Bake & Shape Pumpkin Roll
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
Make the pumpkin cake batter. Spread it into a lined 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, which is the only size pan that works for this recipe. Good news: a quality pan is inexpensive, and you’ll use it again if you bake pumpkin bars. Bake. You know it’s done when the cake springs back when you poke it with a finger. Prepare the kitchen towel or parchment paper. This is the most important step! While the cake is baking, lay a thin kitchen towel or parchment paper flat on the counter. Sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the towel/parchment. Peel the parchment paper off the warm cake, then, starting with the narrow end, gently roll the cake up with the towel/parchment on the bottom. The cake will be warm, since it just came out of the oven. Let the cake cool. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up in the towel/parchment. I usually stick mine in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to speed it up.
Pumpkin Roll Cake Must Be Shaped While Warm
Let me explain why it’s important to roll the cake with a thin towel or parchment paper while it’s warm.
We roll the pumpkin roll cake in a towel or piece of parchment to prevent it from sticking to itself. Rolling the cake while it’s warm allows it to cool in the rolled shape. That means no cracks, rips, or tears when you roll it up again with the filling inside.
Like many beginner bakers, you can master a pumpkin roll with this recipe. Then you can go on to confidently make other cake rolls, such as this epic vertical cake or even a yule log (Bûche De Noël).
Cream Cheese Frosting
As the rolled-up cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting. The recipe is a simple scaled-down version of my regular cream cheese frosting recipe. Now let’s fill the cake:
Unroll the cooled cake. Take your time with this step. Gently unroll and flatten the cake out, then spread a thick layer of frosting evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the cake. Carefully and tightly roll the cake back up, without the towel/parchment this time. Some frosting may spill out the sides, and that’s ok! Refrigerate. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Refrigerating the cake for this short amount of time ensures a neater slice and tastier bite.
See Your Pumpkin Rolls:
So many of you have tried this recipe. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media @sallysbakeblog.
More Perfect Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Muffins & Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Pumpkin Bread Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies & Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Pumpkin Bundt Cake Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Recipes to Make With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
