This Pumpkin Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Filling is our family’s favorite Fall desserts, and will soon be your family’s too!
I have been making this recipe for many, many years. I originally posted it forever ago, back when I blogged as MrsMamaHen (if you can remember back that far to the “blogspot” days!)
Here’s what I love about this cake. It LOOKS fancy and hard to make, but it really isn’t.
To Make Pumpkin Roll Cake You will Need:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cloves
- salt
- eggs
- granulated sugar
- solid-packed canned pumpkin
- pecans
- powdered sugar
- cream cheese, room temperature
- unsalted butter, room temperature
- vanilla extract
- mixing bowls
- tea towel
- jelly roll/bar pan
- parchment paper
- mixer
- offset spatula
How to Roll a Cake Roll without it Cracking
People are often intimidated by rolled cakes, but my tip is to roll the warm cake up in a tea towel that is dusted with powdered sugar.
As the cake cools, it will take on the rolled shape. This will make it easier to roll it up once it is filled. A warm cake is more pliable than a cool cake.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a 10x15x1 inch bar pan (jelly roll pan). Line it with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper as well. Set it aside for now.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set it aside.
In your mixing bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin, and sugar until smooth.
Add in the dry mixture and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to get everything well combined.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Using an offset spatula is very handy for this.
Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until the cake springs back when it is touched in the center.
When the cake is almost done baking, lay a tea towel (linen, non-fuzzy) on your counter or table. Generously dust it with powdered sugar.
When the cake is done baking, carefully turn it out onto the dusted towel. Remove the parchment paper and discard it.
Carefully, starting at one end of the cake, roll the cake and towel together until you have completely rolled it up. Place the roll on a cooling rack and let it cook completely.
When the cake is cooled, prepare the filling.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until they are fluffy.
Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Carefully unroll the cake. Don’t force it completely flat if it is stubborn. You just need it all the way open.
Spread the cream cheese filling all over the cake, edge to edge.
Sprinkle finely chopped pecans all over the filling.
Gently roll the cake back up, this time leaving the towel behind.
Transfer the cake roll to a platter, placing it seam side down.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to set up.
To serve, cut it into slices with a sharp knife.
Enjoy!
This is great for your family or for company. Take it to a holiday potluck this year and impress everyone into thinking you’re a pro baker. No one will be the wiser.
You May Also Like: Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Click Here for More Great Pumpkin Recipes
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Pumpkin Roll Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ¾ c all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 c sugar
- ⅔ c solid-packed canned pumpkin
- ¼ c very finely chopped pecans
- ¼ c powdered sugar, for dusting & rolling
For the Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 Tb unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 c powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease a 10x15x1 inch bar pan (jelly roll pan). Line it with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper as well. Set it aside for now.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set it aside.
- In your mixing bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, and sugar until smooth.
- Add in the dry mixture and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to get everything well combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Using an offset spatula is very handy for this.
- Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until the cake springs back when it is touched in the center.
- When the cake is almost done baking, lay a tea towel (linen, non-fuzzy) on your counter or table. Generously dust it with powdered sugar.
- When the cake is done baking, carefully turn it out onto the dusted towel. Remove the parchment paper and discard it.
- Carefully, starting at one end of the cake, roll the cake and towel together until you have completely rolled it up. Place the roll on a cooling rack and let it cook completely.
- When the cake is cooled, prepare the filling.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until they are fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Carefully unroll the cake. Don’t force it completely flat if it is stubborn. You just need it all the way open.
- Spread the cream cheese filling all over the cake, edge to edge.
- Sprinkle the finely chopped pecans all over the filling.
- Gently roll the cake back up, this time leaving the towel behind.
- Transfer the cake roll to a platter, placing it seam side down.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to set up.
- To serve, cut it into slices with a sharp knife.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Unit Conversions:
Unit Conversion for measurements (if displayed), going from US to Metric is an auto-generated conversion. If you are using the metric measurements, please double-check to confirm that these are accurate with your favorite preferred conversion tool.
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