This classic spiced pumpkin roll recipe is filled with the most luscious and silky cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cake is light, airy and has the most amazing flavor. It's the perfect fall treat to bake for your family.
Make sure to check out the video on how to make this pumpkin roll! We're making all the pumpkin recipes this fall, like this 20 minute pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin muffins!
Your family will absolutely adore this pumpkin roll! It has super silky, delicious, cream cheese frosting. What more could you ask for? It's the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table.
I brought this to a friendsgiving get together a few years back and not a slice was left.
Pumpkin snickerdoodles and pumpkin cake cookies would be another really great option for a friendsgiving or Thanksgiving gathering. But the best accompaniment to a pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving is pumpkin cheesecake!
This pumpkin roll all starts with a spiced pumpkin cake. It's super soft and has the perfect amount of bounce to it. Yes, cakes have bounce, like when you poke it and it springs back. That's a moist cake!
The key to a really good roll cake is to beat the eggs until they get thick and foamy. It's a different approach to making a cake than most people are used to but I promise you it is really easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown all the ingredients you will need to make your pumpkin roll. Make sure to see the full recipe at the bottom of the post for amounts and instructions.
- eggs
- white sugar
- pumpkin puree - this is plain pumpkin puree, make sure not to purchase pumpkin pie filling
- flour
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- vanilla
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- cream cheese
- butter
- powdered sugar
How To Make A Pumpkin Roll
The eggs. The most important step in making a pumpkin roll is how to handle the eggs. The eggs must be beaten until they are whipped and frothy. Put the 3 eggs in a bowl and beat them on high speed for 3-5 minutes until they are thick and fluffy. Watch the video to demonstrate!
The batter. To the fluffy eggs stir in the white sugar. Then stir in the pumpkin puree and a splash of vanilla.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Add this in to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Baking. The first step is to spray the pan with nonstick spray, then add the parchment paper. Very important that you line your baking pan with parchment paper! Otherwise it will stick to the pan. The cake will come off the parchment paper though. The first step is to spray the pan with nonstick spray, then add the parchment paper.
Spread the batter out to the edges and bake for 7-9 minutes at 400 degrees. Your cake may need more or less time depending on your oven and the size pan you chose. I use a 10x15 so the recipe reflects that. If your pan is bigger than you would want to decrease your baking time to avoid over baking.
Cream cheese filling. Beat together all of the ingredients listed for the cream cheese frosting until it's creamy. Keep it in the fridge until it's ready.
Rolling. As soon as your pumpkin roll comes out of the oven you have to roll it right away to avoid cracking and breaking.
Grab a clean kitchen towel and lay it flat. Dust powdered sugar generously on top of the towel. Quickly flip the cake over, on to the towel (parchment paper side up). Gently peel off the parchment paper and dust the cake with more powdered sugar.
Roll the cake up in the towel and let it sit like this for at least 1 hour or until completely cool.
Filling the cake. Unroll the cake and spread the cream cheese frosting all over, to the edges. Roll the cake back up, chill in the fridge then serve!
FAQ
You must use parchment paper when baking your cake. You cannot spread the batter directly on to a baking pan. You must first spray your pan with nonstick spray, then line it with parchment paper.
It's very important that you roll your cake while it's still hot. If you let it cool then try rolling, it will crack. Another important step is that your eggs are beaten correctly so the cake has the right texture to avoid cracking.
You'll want to bake the cake right away, because it has baking soda in it and you don't want to leave a batter with baking soda sitting for long - it's best to pop it right in the oven.
Pumpkin Roll With Silky Cream Cheese Frosting
This classic spiced pumpkin roll recipe is filled with the most luscious and silky cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cake is light, airy and has the most amazing flavor. It's the perfect fall treat to bake for your family.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 c white sugar
- 2/3 c pumpkin puree
- 3/4 c flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- splash of vanilla
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
cream cheese frosting filling
- 1 stick cream cheese, 8 oz, softened
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 c powdered sugar, sifted
- pinch of salt
- splash of vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on high for 3-5 minutes, until they have thickened and are fluffy
- Mix in the white sugar, stir for a minute
- Mix in the pumpkin puree and splash of vanilla
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon
- Add this to the mixer, on low speed, until just combined
- Spray a 10x15 inch pan with nonstick spray, cover with a layer of parchment paper
- Spread the batter evenly over the parchment paper, to all sides (if your pan is bigger than 10x15 only spread it out to those measurements)
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, poke it and it should bounce back
- Whip together the cream cheese frosting filling; cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla until smooth and silky
- Lay flat a clean kitchen towel, dust with powdered sugar
- Remove the cake from the oven and quickly flip on to the towel, face down (so the parchment paper side is face up)
- Gently remove the parchment paper and sprinkle with a littler more powdered sugar
- Roll the cake up and let it sit for 1 hour until cool
- Unroll and spread with the cream cheese frosting
- Roll back up, slice and serve!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 348mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 4g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Abigail
I’ve been making these pumpkin rolls for over 35 years . No need to beat eggs to death and make sure you use excellent sugars brands . Cream cheese must be Philly cream cheese , no other brand beats this cream cheese . I always refrigerate my rolls over night to help set them . Believe I know . I once baked 30 rolls in one day , for gifts .