Go Back

Pumpkin Roll Cake

Pumpkin roll cake with a tender, spiced sponge rolled around a creamy cinnamon cream cheese filling. After baking, it’s inverted, rolled, chilled 1 hour, then dusted with powdered sugar for a clean spiral slice.
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: 340
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 to room temperature.
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter Softened to room temperature.
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin sponge
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F, then grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan and line it with parchment for easy release.
  2. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar until thick, then add pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix until smooth.
  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 for 11-13 minutes at 375F until the top springs back when touched.
Roll, fill, and chill
  1. Invert the hot cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted kitchen towel and peel off the parchment.
  2. Roll the cake up from the short end in the towel and cool completely, seam-side down, so it keeps its spiral shape.
  3. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth.
  4. Unroll the cooled cake and spread the filling evenly, leaving the edges close to filled without overloading.
  5. Re-roll without the towel and refrigerate for 1 hour so the filling firms up and slices cleanly.
  6. Dust the pumpkin roll cake with powdered sugar, then slice and serve.

Notes

Pro tip: for a clean spiral, roll the cake while warm and pliable the first time, then chill before slicing. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze the sliced cake (wrap tightly) up to 2 months. For a dairy-light option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and butter to slightly lower richness while keeping the structure.