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This spiced pumpkin roll recipe makes a soft, moist pumpkin cake is rolled around an easy cream cheese buttercream! A professional pastry chef gives you all the tips for a perfect roll cake every time!

pumpkin roll slices served being eaten.

This pumpkin roll recipe is light, tender and perfectly spiced. A pumpkin sponge cake is rolled around the the best cream cheese buttercream. It is way easier than you’d think plus I give you all the professional tips and tricks for the perfect pumpkin roll the first time!

If you aren’t feeling the roulade stress, you could bake my pumpkin layer cake instead. Add a little bourbon to the buttercream like in these pumpkin pecan pie cupcakes or this red velvet cake. It’s the holidays. Pour it up!

Why You Will Love This Pumpkin Roll

  • An easy cake made in one bowl. There is no oil or butter in this recipe. All the ingredients can be mixed together in one bowl.
    Bakes quickly. Because this cake is baked in a jelly roll pan or rimmed baking dish, it bakes quickly! It will only take 10-15 minutes!
  • Better flavor. The sponge cake is spiced and flavored with lemon juice. This perfectly compliments the sweet, tangy cream cheese filling!

How to make a perfect pumpkin roll cake

  • Start with a well baked cake. An over-baked cake will be dry and have a tendency to crack. Brush with simple syrup for a quick fix. An underbaked cake is possibly worse because it will be sticky and gooey and it will stick to the towel, to you and to basically everything you don’t want it to stick to. If this happens skip pre-rolling in the towel and allow to cool completely in the pan before rolling.
  • Cool the cake in a towel. Cooling the cake in the towel keeps the cake moist and pre-rolling allows it to acclimate to its new rolled shape. It is less likely to crack.   
  • Use a serrated knife for the perfect slice. Chill your cake well before slicing and slice with a sharp knife or a serrated knife! Dip the knife in hot water and wipe clean with a towel before each slice for perfect slices!
unsliced pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting on top.
Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake Stunning Crumb
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Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make a tender pumpkin roll cake that is still flexible enough to roll.
  • Sugar: I use granulated sugar in this cake. It is here for the more obvious flavor reasons, but also to aid in leavening, moisture, texture and stability.
  • Baking Soda: Do check the freshness of your baking soda! It does lose potency over time. If it’s not fresh, send it to the back of the refrigerator to absorb some odors, or clean your marble countertops with it!
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: Spices are best used within one year of purchase. They will be most potent and true to their original flavor. I used my pumpkin spice recipe but you could use store-bought as well.
  • Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby’s pumpkin puree because it is consistent and that is what I use to develop all my recipes. Use whichever brand you prefer. Just be sure to grab pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix!
  • Eggs: Whole eggs allow you to emulsify all that oil into the batter, resulting in a moist, not greasy, cake. They also help with leavening by trapping air with the sugar.
  • Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is the flavor here! My motto for citrus juices is that fresh is always best.
  • Powdered Sugar: Dust powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar over the cake prior to rolling.
  • Cream Cheese: I use original Philadelphia Cream Cheese for all my baked goods including frostings and buttercreams. I also use full fat though reduced fat can be substituted. Just ensure that it is not whipped. Whipped will make the buttercream too soft and it won’t support the layers or stay in the roll.
  • Unsalted Butter: In frostings and buttercreams the butter is there for stability. It will firm up when cold, which helps the buttercream stay in the pumpkin roll.
  • Confectioner’s Sugar: We use confectioner’s sugar in American buttercreams because it ground finely into a powder.
  • Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract adds a beautiful flavor to the buttercream.

Possible Variations

  • Add nuts or dried fruit. Add chopped, toasted nuts or chopped dried fruit to the batter for an easy twist.
  • Soak the cake in flavored simple syrup. Make an easy flavored simple syrup by bringing 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil. Allow this to infuse with whole spices or citrus rinds as it cools. Or add a splash of your favorite alcohol.
  • Flavor the buttercream. Add a tablespoon of your favorite alcohol to the cream cheese buttercream. Brandy or Bourbon pair nicely with these flavors.  

Possible Substitutions  

  • Homemade pumpkin puree. You can use homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe just be sure to let it drain so that it is thick and not runny. Too much moisture will make a gummy cake.
  • Use brown sugar in place of granulated. You can substitute brown sugar (dark or light) in place of the granulated sugar in this pumpkin roll recipe.
sliced pumpkin roll cream cheese filling.

How to Make Pumpkin Rolls

Use these instructions to make the perfect pumpkin roll cake every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the pumpkin cake:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375° and grease and line a 9×13 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper cut to size. Do use the right sized pan so that your cake is an even thickness.

Step 2: In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread the mixture evenly.

Step 3: Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. You can also use a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake at an angle. The angle gives you more surface area to get an accurate read.

When testing a cake for doneness by feel, you want to use a light touch and your finger should not leave an impression on the surface. If it feels springy but leaves an impression, pop it back in to continue baking for another minute or two. Watch it carefully!

Step 4: Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. While the cake cools, lay a clean, unscented, lint free towel on the counter. Turn the cake onto the towel leaving only ½ inch of towel exposed at one short end. Start rolling the cake and towel together lengthwise at the end with the smallest overhang. Place the cake rolled in the towel on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Make the cream cheese filling:

Step 5: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar together until smooth.

For a completely lump free filling, first cream the butter and cream cheese then add the vanilla followed by sifted confectioner’s sugar.

Assemble the pumpkin roll:

Step 6: When cake has cooled completely, gently unroll cake (don’t remove it from the towel!) and spread the icing with a small offset spatula within a ¼ inch of each side. Carefully re-roll the cake, making sure to tuck filling into the starting curl so that there is filling at the very center of the roll.

Step 7: Whisk together confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl. Dust over the top of the cake. You can also do this again right before serving.

Sometimes roll cakes just crack. Don’t stress about it, it happens to everyone! Just spread more of the cream cheese filling on top, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and be proud of yourself!

Step 7: Completely chill the rolled cake. Overnight is best but at least 2 hours. Keep the cake refrigerated and slice right before serving.

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

To make the larger pumpkin roll that I made in the YouTube video, make 1.5 times the recipe as written and bake it in a 12×17 inch rimmed baking pan, which is the standard size rimmed cookie sheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to fix a dry, over baked cake?

While there is no real fix other than starting again, you can cheat it by brushing it with an easy simple syrup. Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil then cool completely.  Brush the cake with the cold syrup prior to assembling.

How to keep a pumpkin roll from cracking?

To keeping a pumpkin roll from cracking properly bake the cake, cool it rolled in a clean, dry kitchen towel, and don’t over-fill it!

What to do when your pumpkin roll cracks?

No tears will fix a cracked pumpkin roll, so it’s best just to whip up extra of my favorite cream cheese buttercream to slather on top. You can also add a little whiskey to the buttercream. This will cover the cracks and stop the tears!

How to store pumpkin roll cake?

Store baked, assembled pumpkin roll wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this because, once thawed, it could be soggy.

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

sliced pumpkin roll cream cheese filling.
4.98 from 41 ratings

Pumpkin Roll

This spiced Pumpkin Roll recipe is easier to make than you think! It is a soft, moist pumpkin cake is rolled around an easy cream cheese frosting!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Assembling Time: 15 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 12 people

Ingredients 
 

For the Cake:

For the Filling:

For the Topping:

Instructions 

  • Make the Cake:
  • Preheat oven to 375° and grease and line a 9×13 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper cut to size. Do use the right sized pan so that your cake is an even thickness.
  • In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread the mixture evenly.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. You can also use a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake at an angle. The angle gives you more surface area to get an accurate read.
  • Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. While the cake cools, lay a clean, unscented, lint free towel on the counter. Turn the cake onto the towel leaving only ½ inch of towel exposed at one short end. Start rolling the cake and towel together lengthwise at the end with the smallest overhang. Place the cake rolled in the towel on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Make the cream cheese filling:

  • In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar together until smooth.
  • For a completely lump free filling, first cream the butter and cream cheese then add the vanilla followed by sifted confectioner’s sugar.

Assemble the pumpkin roll:

  • When cake has cooled, gently unroll cake and spread the icing with a small offset spatula within a ¼ inch of each side. Carefully re-roll the cake, making sure to tuck filling into the starting curl so that there is filling at the very center of the roll.
  • Whisk together the powdered sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Dust the cake with topping. You can reserve some to dust just prior to serving.
  • Completely chill the rolled cake. Overnight is best but at least 2 hours. Keep the cake refrigerated and slice right before serving.

Video

Notes

Presentation – To keeping a pumpkin roll from cracking properly bake the cake, cool it rolled in a clean, dry kitchen towel, and don’t over-fill it!
Variations – Add chopped dried fruits or toasted nuts to the batter, or try adding a tablespoon of your favorite liquor to the buttercream!
Storage – Store baked, assembled pumpkin rolls wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this because, one thawed, it could be soggy.
For the larger sized cake that I made in the video make a 1.5 times of the recipe as written.
The 2013 version of this cake was an adaptation of Granny Kat’s pumpkin roll from allrecipes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 3610IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 271
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed pumpkin dessert recipes or try more of our cake recipes

This spiced Pumpkin Roll is easier to make than you think! It is a soft, moist pumpkin cake is rolled around an easy cream cheese frosting!
Pumpkin Roll

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

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32 Comments

  1. I love your website and the way you explain things. You are an excellent teacher in your videos as well. I had an issue making the pumpkin roll and was hoping you could tell me what I did wrong. I made the recipe for the pumpkin roll in a 12×17 pan and it turned out to be about 3/4 inch thick and cracked completely in half when I tried to roll it. My pan was actually 11.5 x 16.5 interior measurement (I measure at the inside bottom of the pan for my measurements). Is your pan size measured by the interior or exterior measurement? I made it again and just made the Libby’s recipe and put it in the same size pan, since I did not have a 10×13 and it turned out perfectly and did not crack when rolled. It was slightly thinner than I would have liked, but delicious and beautiful with icing and pecans on top! Guests where actually taking photos of it. So thanks for the inspiration to put the icing on top….great idea! The only thing different about the Libby’s recipe besides the spices, is that it uses 2/3 cup pumpkin puree instead of 1 cup. So my question is, do you think it was the extra pumpkin, or was my pan too small because I measured the interior measurement instead of the exterior? Thanks so much for your help!

    1. Oh, sorry, Sharon, I didn’t see the rest of your comment. I don’t think you used the wrong pan. Every pan is slightly different even “standard” ones. The fatter cakes are more susceptible to cracking, so you definitely have to pre-roll it when it is warm. If you did that, it could also be the baking time. The cakes will crack more if they are baked longer. I’m sure you can see in the video that mine also cracked. Part of that was because it was fatter and because I wanted a lot of frosting inside. The cracking was actually the reason I ended up putting icing on top. A happy accident for us both!

  2. A jelly roll pan is bigger than 9 x 13 but is only an inch deep. That’s what you typically use for a cake roll, not a 9 x 13 cake pan. Either way, can’t wait to try it, but I will use my jelly roll pan. 🙂

    1. A 9×13 jelly roll is what the original recipe called for. I didn’t have one, so I used a rimmed cookie sheet and just didn’t spread the batter to the edges. It worked but it wasn’t as even as if I had had the correct sized pan.

      1. Did you have two pumpkin rolls?? One post said there is enough for 2 rolls? I don’t have the 9×13 jelly roll pan either. I will wait and buy one, this looks so good I want it to be right.

        1. Hi Glenda, The recipe as written makes 1 pumpkin roll. I actually made the one you see in the pictures in a rimmed baking sheet and just didn’t spread the batter all the way to the edges. That commenter substituted a box of cake mix for the flour and baking soda and sugar, and I think she was saying that she should have only used half the box. I’ve never tried using box cake mix, but I know that my recipe makes one roll! I’m sure your roll will be spectacular!

  3. I goofed on my first attempt (used a recipe with boxed cake mix……forgot to only use half the batter for 1 roll….The recipe will normally yield 2 rolls….
    now I have a huge fat roll :'(

    1. LOL! It happens to the best of us! I didn’t have the right sized pan when I made this one, because I failed to check my pans prior to mixing up the batter! So I ended up with some crispy, ugly edges 🙂
      Hopefully your chubby roll still tastes amazing!