This Pumpkin Roll recipe is the perfect fall dessert made with a moist and tender pumpkin sponge cake rolled with light and fluffy cream cheese filling. An impressive homemade Pumpkin Roll cake made easy with pro tips and tricks!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Here at The Busy Baker we love to demystify cooking and baking by providing you with the best tips, tricks and recipes to improve your life in the kitchen. Whether that’s by providing delicious and easy meal ideas for busy evenings after work or school, or simplifying desserts and baking recipes that seem too difficult to try in your own kitchen – we’ve got you covered!
This easy Pumpkin Roll recipe is one of our favourite fall recipes – it’s a simple pumpkin sponge cake that’s rolled with the fluffiest cream cheese filling. With just a few simple no-fail tips, it makes the perfect cake roll for fall!
Trust us – if you’ve never made a Pumpkin Roll before, you’re definitely going to want to try this fall-inspired recipe!
Making a Pumpkin Roll at home doesn’t have to be complicated! Here are some issues you might encounter when making a homemade pumpkin roll cake and how to prevent or solve them:
- Why did my cake roll crack? It’s likely one of three issues: the flour wasn’t measured properly and you added too much flour, the cake was over-baked, or you didn’t roll it right away while it was hot from the oven.
- Why is my cake roll gummy? If your cake is gummy, it could be that the flour hasn’t been measured properly (it contains less flour than it should), the cake was taken out of the oven too soon or the cake was over-mixed.
- If there’s a blob of filling in front as you roll, or the filling is oozing out the sides, you’re likely rolling too tightly.
- If the cake roll has a flat side or isn’t round, it probably wasn’t rotated as it cooled.
- Do not cool the rolled cake after baking in the fridge to save time – this will cause it to be rubbery and fall apart. Cool it at room temperature and chill it in the fridge only after the cake has been cooled, unrolled, filled with frosting, and rolled up again.
- Don’t use baking paper to roll the cake as it cools – this will cause lines in the cake and trap moisture inside, creating a gummy cake. Using a kitchen towel is ideal because it allows moisture and heat to escape.
- Use a cutting board or cooling rack to help flip the cake after baking. Line it with parchment paper, add it on top of the cake upside down, and then invert onto the prepared kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. It’s easy to break or crack the cake when tipping it out of the pan, so take care!
- Why is my cake too thin? Using the wrong size pan, or a pan that’s too large will cause the cake to be too thin. We suggest using a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan.
Here’s a list of kitchen items you’ll need to make this Easy Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe or any Cake Roll at home (affiliate links):
- a jelly roll pan that’s approximately 10 inches wide by 15 inches long with sides high enough to contain the cake batter (about 1 inch high).
- mixing bowls
- a whisk
- a rubber spatula
- a hand mixer
- measuring cups and spoons
- liquid measuring cups
- a clean kitchen towel
- an offset spatula
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this Easy Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe (affiliate links):
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
- ground allspice
- salt
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- pumpkin puree
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- heavy cream
Time needed: 2 hours
Follow our No-Fail Tips for the PERFECT Cake Roll or Swiss Roll Cake!
- Use room temperature ingredients.
Ingredients at room temperature create a smooth cake batter because ingredients that are the same temperature mix together better. This is the key to cakes that turn out perfectly.
- Don’t over-mix the batter.
Cream the butter and sugar together well, but once you add the dry ingredients be sure you mix only until no streaks of flour appear. This will help the cake become spongy and soft instead of dense and rubbery.
- Bake the cake immediately.
Be sure to preheat your oven and bake the cake immediately after mixing. This will help the cake rise properly.
- Smooth out the cake batter well in the pan before baking.
For a cake with a flat top, smooth out the cake batter evenly in the pan before baking.
- Roll the cake while it’s hot.
Roll it up from the narrow end while hot from the oven in a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. The cloth absorbs the moisture from the steam of the cake as it cools and prevents it from sticking to each other. Never roll the cake without a kitchen towel inside the roll.
- Dust the towel with powdered sugar to prevent sticking before rolling.
The powdered sugar helps the cake release from the cloth easily.
- Turn the cake while cooling.
In order to keep the round shape, turn the cake several times while it cools to prevent it from getting flat on one side.
- Be gentle.
As you unroll the cake after it has cooled, be gentle, making sure you don’t force the curled end.
- Spread the frosting evenly.
Spread the frosting about 1/3 inch thick over the whole cake, making sure it’s spread as evenly as possible to avoid air pockets.
- Add extra frosting to the curled end.
Fill the curled end with a little extra frosting. It will get pushed out to the end of the roll as you roll the cake.
- Leave 1/2 inch un-frosted.
Leave the final 1/2 inch of the cake (on the narrow end) unfrosted because some frosting will get pushed to that edge as you roll the cake.
- Roll gently.
Roll the cake very gently and don’t press on it while you roll it – let it roll naturally and don’t tighten it aggressively or the frosting will ooze out. There should be no blob of frosting in front as you roll.
- Chill before slicing.
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap, cool it in fridge for 2 hours or freezer for 30 minutes, turning regularly to keep it round as it chills.
- Slice the ends before serving.
Create clean ends by slicing off about 1/4-inch on both ends. Pour the ganache over the cake roll and top with crushed candy canes. Place the roll back in the fridge to allow the ganache to set.
What is a Swiss roll or cake roll?
A Swiss roll or cake roll is a thin cake that’s covered on one side in cream or jam (or both) and then rolled up into a cylinder shape.
How do you eat a cake roll?
The best way to eat a cake roll is to slice it in thin slices to display the roll.
How long do roll cakes last?
Store your cake roll in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months, in an airtight container.
Why is my Swiss roll dry?
Swiss roll cakes can become dry if they’re over-baked or if they contain too much flour.
Why is my Swiss roll gummy?
Swiss roll cakes can become too moist or gummy if they don’t contain enough flour or if they’re under-baked.
Why should you roll the cake while it is still warm and not later?
Rolling the cake while it’s hot from the oven will prevent it from cracking and it will allow it to cool in the correct shape.
We hope you love this pumpkin recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite pumpkin recipe for fall? We’d love to know!
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Pumpkin Roll
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting the towel
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (1/2 cup)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream optional, depending on frosting consistency
For serving
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Recipe: Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) and prepare a jelly roll pan by greasing it well and lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. It's also a good idea to grease the top of the parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and spices in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the oil and pumpkin puree and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and mix with a spatula just until everything is incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread it out to the edges being careful to spread the batter as evenly as possible. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for about 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- As the cake bakes, dust powdered sugar generously over a clean kitchen towel creating a rectangle shape, slightly larger than your jelly roll pan.
- Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, line a cooling rack with parchment paper and place it upside down on top of the hot cake before inverting. Invert it again so the cake is face down on top the kitchen towel over the powder sugar. Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
- Roll the cake with the towel inside the roll as well, from the narrow end while it's hot from the oven. Don't roll it too tightly or aggressively, but the cake should be firmly rolled with no space on the inside of the roll.
- Let the pumpkin cake cool, rolled, turning it several times throughout the cooling process so that it keeps a round shape and doesn't flatten on one side only.
For the frosting:
- Add the room temperature cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip the cream cheese on medium high speed until it's creamy and smooth.
- Add the softened butter and the vanilla extract to the cream cheese and continue to whip on medium speed until they're well combined (you might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl at this point).
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on medium-low speed until it's completely blended and thick. If at this point the frosting is too thick to spread, beat in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to loosen it up a little bit (add the heavy cream a couple teaspoons at a time just to be sure you don't add too much!).
Assembly:
- Once the frosting has reached the right consistency and the cake has cooled completely, gently unroll the cake (you don't need to flatten it completely – one end will have a small curl) and frost it with an offset spatula, making sure there's an even layer of frosting and leaving the last 1/2 inch of the cake on the narrow end (the flat end) free of frosting. Add a little bit of extra frosting under the curled up end.
- Gently roll your cake back up without the towel. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes to set.
Serving:
- After the cream cheese frosting has firmed up in the fridge or freezer, remove the plastic wrap, cut 1/4-inch slices from each end of the pumpkin cake roll and dust the top with powdered sugar.
- Slice and serve.
Recipe: Notes
Storage Instructions
You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.Freezer Instructions
You can freeze this cake roll for up to 3 months wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag, making sure you thaw it in the fridge before serving. After it’s thawed, remove any excess moisture with paper towel (if there’s any) and dust it with powder sugar. Slice and enjoy!Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This looks like it’s too hard to pass up making for our fall festivities this year, or even to enjoy with a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Yum!