Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe

Pumpkin Roll Cake

This pumpkin roll cake is the showstopper fall dessert that looks far harder than it is — a soft, spiced pumpkin sponge rolled around a sweet-tangy cream cheese filling, dusted with powdered sugar and sliced into perfect spirals. It tastes like pumpkin pie and cheesecake had a beautiful baby, and it belongs on every Thanksgiving dessert table.

The trick to a crack-free roll is rolling the cake while it is still warm, wrapped in a powdered-sugar-dusted towel, so it “learns” the rolled shape before it cools. Once it is filled and chilled, it slices cleanly into those bakery-window spirals.

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Servings: 10 slices

What You’ll Need

• 15×10-inch jelly roll pan
• Parchment paper
• Clean thin kitchen towel (not terry cloth)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• Large mixing bowls
• Electric mixer (hand or stand)
• Wire rack

For a mixer that handles cake batter with ease, see our best budget stand mixer under $200 guide.

Ingredients

For the pumpkin cake

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cream cheese filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dusting and serving

• Powdered sugar, for dusting the towel and the finished roll

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven and prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the short ends, and lightly grease the parchment. Lay a clean thin kitchen towel flat on the counter and dust it generously with powdered sugar.

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

1. Beat the eggs and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high for 2–3 minutes until thick, pale, and tripled in volume. Beat in the pumpkin purée and vanilla until combined.

1. Fold in the dry ingredients. Gently fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture with a spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix — a light hand keeps the sponge soft and flexible.

1. Bake the sponge. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, reaching all the way into the corners. Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean.

1. Roll while warm. Immediately turn the hot cake out onto the powdered-sugar-dusted towel and peel off the parchment. Starting from a short end, roll the cake up snugly inside the towel. Set the rolled cake seam-side down on a wire rack and let it cool completely, about 1 hour. This step trains the cake to hold its rolled shape.

1. Make the filling. While the cake cools, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

1. Fill and re-roll. Gently unroll the cooled cake. Spread the filling evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Re-roll the cake (without the towel this time), wrap it snugly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the filling firms up.

1. Serve. Unwrap the chilled roll, dust generously with powdered sugar, and slice with a sharp serrated knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean spirals.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Roll Cake

• Roll it warm, every time. The single biggest cause of cracking is letting the sponge cool flat. Roll it in the towel straight out of the oven and it will roll again beautifully once filled.
• Use pumpkin purée, not pie filling. Canned pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which throws off the cake’s balance. Plain pumpkin purée is what you want.
• Chill before slicing. A fully chilled roll slices into crisp, clean spirals. A warm roll squishes the filling out the sides — patience pays off here.

Spiced, swirled, and dusted with sugar — this pumpkin roll cake is the fall dessert your guests will photograph before they eat it.