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Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin roll is a classic American dessert with a tender pumpkin-spiced cake spiral wrapped around a creamy cream cheese filling. Bake, invert, and roll while warm for a clean spiral, then chill so the slices hold their shape.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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
  • 0.67 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Cream cheese filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • powdered sugar for dusting

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 so the cake lifts easily (visual cue: parchment should fully cover the base).
  2. Beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick, then add pumpkin puree and vanilla (visual cue: mixture should look pale and ribbon slightly when lifted).
  3. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt (visual cue: no dry streaks remain).
  4. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan, then bake 11-13 minutes until the cake springs back when gently pressed (visual cue: top looks set but still soft).
Roll and chill
  1. Invert the warm cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel, then peel off the parchment (visual cue: cake releases without tearing).
  2. Roll the cake from the short end and cool completely in the rolled shape (visual cue: tight spiral).
  3. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until creamy (visual cue: filling is thick and spreadable).
  4. Unroll the cooled cake, spread the filling evenly, then re-roll without the towel (visual cue: spiral stays neat).
  5. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set, then dust with powdered sugar and slice (visual cue: clean, distinct pinwheel slices).

Notes

Pro tip: roll the cake while it’s warm so it stays flexible—if it cools too much before rolling, it can crack. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze sliced pieces up to 1 month (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of the regular flour.