Go Back

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin roll with tender spiced cake rolled into a classic cream cheese spiral. Bake in a jelly roll pan, cool in a towel, then chill for clean slices and a neat powdered-sugar finish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For pumpkin cake
  • 0.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.667 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For cream cheese filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Powdered sugar for dusting
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cake
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F, then grease and parchment-line a 15x10 jelly roll pan.
  2. Beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick, then mix in pumpkin puree and vanilla.
  3. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until no dry streaks remain.
  4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, then bake 11–13 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
  5. Invert the cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel, then peel off the parchment.
  6. Roll the cake from the short end into the towel and cool completely.
Fill, roll, and chill
  1. Beat the cream cheese filling ingredients smooth: cream cheese, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon.
  2. Unroll the cooled cake and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the surface.
  3. Re-roll the cake without the towel, then refrigerate 1 hour.
  4. Dust with powdered sugar and slice to serve.

Notes

For the cleanest spiral, cool the cake fully while rolled in the towel—this prevents cracks when unrolling. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze slices in a sealed container up to 2 months. For a dairy-light option, use a cream cheese spread made for baking to keep the filling texture similar.