A pumpkin roll is a delicious pumpkin cake filled with a smooth and creamy filling….believe me, one slice is not enough!  After giving it a try, you will want to add this pumpkin roll recipe into your regular rotation. The best part is this beautiful dessert is surprisingly easy to make!

If you’re in search of another homemade recipe that serves up a mouth-watering combo of pumpkin and cream cheese flavors, you have to try our pumpkin cheesecake dip!

pumpkin roll on white plate

Thank you for stopping by today. Please check out more delicious recipes, comment and let me know how your family liked this one!

Pumpkin Roll

For an easy show-stopping dessert, you will want to make this Pumpkin Roll recipe. It looks hard to make, but really is doable.

It’s pretty much the perfect fall dessert. At our house we have a weakness for any dessert involving cream cheese frosting, so combine that with rich pumpkin flavor, and it practically disappears before my eyes.

a slice of pumpkin roll on white plate with gold fork

What You Need to Make this Pumpkin Roll
Recipe

For the cake:

  • Powdered sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground cloves
  • Salt
  • Granulated sugar
  • Canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

For the filling:

  • 8 oz. package of cream cheese
  • powdered sugar
  • butter
  • vanilla extract

Equipment:

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How to Make a Pumpkin Roll

Just follow the step-by-step pictures for how to make a pumpkin roll cake, and you will be on your way to pumpkin heaven. Scroll down for the complete, downloadable recipe card!

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then lightly spray a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray, and line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper. The cooking spray helps adhere the paper to the pan.  Now give the top of the paper a coat of cooking spray.

pumpkin roll parchment lined jelly roll pan

Step by step pumpkin roll instructions

Let’s get started making this delicious pumpkin roll.  First, beat eggs and sugar, add in pumpkin to create your batter. Now spread your pumpkin mixture into the prepared pan.

pumpkin roll batter in pan

Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. I think a towel with little texture works best; see my tips below for more about using a cloth!  Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel so the cake will not stick when rolling up the cake.

preparing towel with sprinkled powdered sugar

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the top of cake springs back when touched.  Don’t over bake.  Immediately loosen and flip cake onto the prepared tea towel. Carefully peel off the paper.

pumpkin roll peeling parchment away

Next, simply roll the cake up in the towel.

pumpkin roll rolling in towel

Now refrigerate cake until cool, about an hour. While cake is cooling, prepare the filling.

How to Make The Pumpkin Roll Filling

To make the cream cheese filling, with an electric mixer beat together cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth.

cake rolled in towel

After the cake has been left to cool completely, gently unroll the cake from your towel.

pumpkin sponge cake unrolled from towel

Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Now re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

cake unfolded spread with cream cheese filling

Finally, sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

pumpkin roll finished and ready to be served

My Best Pumpkin Roll Tips!

While this cake roll looks complicated, it really isn’t. Follow these tips and you will be a pro!

  • Make sure you use a can of pure pumpkin puree. The ingredient list should simply say “pumpkin.”  Do not get pumpkin pie filling – it has spices and other ingredients that we don’t want in this Pumpkin Roll recipe.
  • Keep your pumpkin roll in the refrigerator or freezer. To store your pumpkin roll, wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap before sprinkling the powder sugar on top.
  • How long does pumpkin roll last? You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.  If you choose to freeze the pumpkin roll, be sure to let it thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving. Dust with powder sugar (NOT granulated sugar) just before slicing and serving.
  • Can you use parchment paper instead of a towel to roll up the pumpkin roll? Yes! In fact, some people think this makes it much easier.
  • I prefer using a towel to roll the cake because when you dust with confectioner’s sugar, it seems to stay put better on cloth.
  • Why does my pumpkin roll always crack? Don’t worry if the cake cracks a little bit, just be extra careful when you spread the cream cheese mixture. Often when you re-roll the cake, the crack will come back together. It won’t affect the flavor.
  • To make the cream cheese mixture softer and easier to spread, make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
  • No need to spread the filling all the way to the edges of the cake! Leave a little room because as you roll the cake back up, it will press the cream cheese filling outward.
  • Don’t use wax paper to line the pan for baking. When the wax paper is baked it will melt into the cake.
  • Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar just before serving. The cake is moist and quickly absorbs the powdered sugar.
  • Pumpkin rolls can be served at room temperature, but be sure to re-refrigerate it before it sits for too long. Keeping it chilled will make it slice more cleanly.
  • Cool the cakes in a cool room as cakes may sweat if the kitchen is too humid. To prevent sweating you can apply a few spritzes of unflavored alcohol like vodka. This should prevent condensation/sweat from happening.
  • When you cool it in the refrigerator it can chill too quickly, which can lead to the cake sweating once it is pulled out and placed at room temperature. To prevent sweating apply a few spritzes of unflavored alcohol like vodka.
  • If you do not have a jelly roll pan, no worries. Substitute a jelly roll pan with an oversized sheet. Prepare the cookie sheet with parchment paper and cooking spray as you would the jelly roll pan. Spread the cake mixture out so there is still a 2-3″ margin and bake as normal.

More Pumpkin Recipes to try

If you’ve tried this pumpkin roll or any other recipe on my blog, please let me know what you thought in the comments below! I love hearing from you!

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.

Pumpkin Roll
5 from 26 votes

Pumpkin Roll Recipe

A beautiful and delicious dessert. Make this dessert ahead of time for a stress free dinner party.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling 1 hour
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients  

for cake

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs large
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

for filling

  • 1 pkg cream cheese 8 oz., at room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar , sifted
  • 1/4 cup butter , softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375° F

Prepare Pan: Lightly spray a 10 inch X 15 inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper. The cooking spray helps adhere the paper to the pan. Give the top of the paper a coat of cooking spray.

    Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Mix in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared jelly roll pan.

      Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Don’t over bake. Immediately loosen and flip cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper.

        Rolling Instructions Roll the cake up in the towel. Refrigerate cake until cool, about an hour. While cake is cooling prepare the filling.

          Filling Instructions To make filling beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. Gently unroll the cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

            Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

              Video

              [brid autoplay=”true” video=”454170″ player=”18814″ title=”Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling” description=”Learn how to make an easy pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling.” duration=”81″ uploaddate=”2019-08-22 15:07:24″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/14570/thumb/454170_t_1566486146.png”]

              Notes

              • Make sure you use a can of pure pumpkin puree. The ingredient list should simply say “pumpkin.”  Do not get pumpkin pie filling it has spices and other ingredients that we don’t want in this Pumpkin Roll recipe.
              • Keep your pumpkin roll in the refrigerator or freezer. To store your pumpkin roll, wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap before sprinkling the powder sugar on top.  You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.  If you choose to freeze the pumpkin roll, be sure to let it thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving.  Sprinkle with powder sugar just before slicing and serving.
              • Can you use parchment paper instead of a towel to roll up the pumpkin roll? Yes! In fact, some people think this makes it much easier.

              Nutrition

              Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 5100IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1.6mg
              Servings: 6
              Course: Dessert
              Cuisine: American
              Author: Cindy Hopper

              About Cindy Hopper

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              Comments

              1. Beautiful & delicious!! Your steps make it super easy to make & help so much!! It’s so soft & creamy!

              2. I was always intimidated to make a pumpkin roll but this recipe made it so easy and clear! It turned out perfectly and the flavor and texture is to die for. Thank you!

              3. So helpful, thanks for sharing this pumpkin roll recipe It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!

              4. This recipe has become a Fall must have and favorite at my house. I leave out the cloves. It is delicious!

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