Easy Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Name: Easy Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp butter, softened; 8 oz cream cheese, softened; 1 cup confectioners sugar; ¾ cup cake flour; 2/3 cup pumpkin puree; ½ cup white sugar; ½ cup brown sugar; 3 eggs; 1 Tbsp cinnamon; 1 tsp nutmeg; 1 tsp ginger

September 17, 2019December 14, 2019 Meagen Brosius 15 Comments

Go to the Recipe

My easy pumpkin roll recipe is great for fall. Pumpkin roll is also fun year round for a sweet treat! I love giving a pumpkin roll as a gift during the holidays as well.

pumpkin roll recipe pin showing title and two photos of the finished pumpkin roll

I’m going to show you how I make an easy pumpkin roll. Anyone can do it! I used to think that any kind of cake roll recipe was not for me…it just seemed like more work than it was worth!

Once I tried, I was hooked! This delicious pumpkin roll recipe is no exception, give it a try I’m sure you will love it.

Close up shot of the finished and sliced pumpkin roll.

What will I need to make pumpkin roll?

You will need a few things to make a great pumpkin roll recipe. Along with the ingredients I’ll list below you will also need a hand mixer or stand mixer, parchment paper, and cooking spray.

I usually bake my cake for pumpkin rolls and cake rolls in a jelly roll pan so that they are nice and thin! This jelly roll pan work great.

finished pumpkin cake roll dessert sliced and ready to eat.

Ingredients list for pumpkin roll cake:

¾ cup cake flour
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger

Filling ingredients for an easy pumpkin roll:

3 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar

top down view of the slices of pumpkin roll!

How to make a pumpkin roll:

In a medium-size bowl, mix together pumpkin, brown and white sugars, cake flour, and spices.
Separate eggs. Add egg yolks to cake mixture.
Beat egg whites on medium-high for 2-4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold egg whites into the cake mixture. Do not over mix.
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, up over the edges as well, and cover with cooking spray.
Then spread the batter evenly on top of the parchment paper.
Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.
While the cake is in the oven, beat together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners sugar until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
Remove cake from the oven. Lift or slide parchment-lined cake onto a cooling rack. Allow cooling slightly. Roll cake inside parchment paper and set aside to cool completely.
Unroll cooled cake and spread cream cheese filling, completely covering the cake.
Re-roll cake without the parchment paper. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and store in the fridge until ready to slice and serve.
For best results, allow the cake to set up in the fridge overnight.

Another pin showing the text and title and two images of the finished pumpkin roll.

How to make the perfect cake roll:

You can apply this technique to any cake recipe that you are making. If you just need to know how to make a cake roll this is where you should start!!

pumpkin roll finished on a plate with a fork.

Remove cake from the oven. Lift or slide parchment-lined cake onto a cooling rack. Allow cooling slightly. Roll cake inside parchment paper and set aside to cool completely.
Unroll cooled cake and spread cream cheese filling, completely covering the cake.
Re-roll cake without the parchment paper. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and store in the fridge until ready to slice and serve.
For best results, allow the cake to set up in the fridge overnight.

Stack of pumpkin roll slices on a plate ready to eat.

Tips for the best cake rolls ever:

If you want to make the best cake rolls you need to remember a few things! Here are my tips to make sure your cake rolls come out perfectly every time.

Don’t forget the parchment paper. It’s so much easier to roll the cake when it’s just baked on parchment.
Don’t let the cake get too cool before you roll it. It needs to be baked completely and then cooled only slightly. Warm cake is less likely to crack, break, etc.
Go slowly when unrolling and rerolling the cake to add your filling. The cake is only going to take so much before it does crack, crumble, and fall apart.
If your cake seems too dry after it is cooled add a more wet filling like jelly, etc. You can also use a simple syrup to keep your cake moist for days!
Do not skip the set up! Cake rolls come out beautifully after they have had time to set up in the fridge overnight. If you need the cake for the same day try and give it as much time as you can for best results!

top down view of the whole pumpkin cake roll dessert with slice on the end.

Printable Pumpkin Roll Recipe:

Yield: 8 Servings