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This delicious Pumpkin Roll recipe combines moist pumpkin spice cake and a secret ingredient cream cheese filling. You’ll love my easy no-mess rolling tips!
Most everyone is familiar with Libby’s pumpkin roll. It’s the gold standard of pumpkin roll cake recipes.
You know I love to take the best classic recipes and make them my own. I made a few little tweaks to the recipe to really make this pumpkin cream cheese roll beyond amazing, including a secret ingredient in the filling that makes all the difference.
Also, I really hate to use a kitchen towel to make Swiss roll cakes, so read on to find out how to simplify the rolling process, leave out the towel, and make for really easy clean up!
How to make the cake:
- First step is to bake the cake. The batter for this pumpkin spice roll is very wet. You’ll need to spread it across the base of your jelly roll pan and it will be a very thin layer.
- I love to top the cake with a layer of nuts. The crunch is the best part! If you have nut allergy concerns, you can omit the nuts or replace with pumpkin seeds.
- The cake should only take about 15 minutes or less to bake. While it’s in the oven, make the cream cheese filling.
- As soon as that cake comes out of the oven, you’ll need to roll it up so that it cools in the rolled shape.
- Once the cake is cool, you can spread the filling on top, then roll it back up. You will need to then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. This will make slicing a breeze and it will hold it’s shape fabulously!
How to roll a pumpkin roll:
If you’re looking for an easy pumpkin roll recipe, you’ve found it.
I’ve never liked swiss roll recipes that tell me to roll the cake up in a towel. Call me crazy, but even if a towel is straight out of the washing machine, I never consider it 100% clean. At least, not enough to press against my food.
Also, if you use a clean, crisp white kitchen towel, prepare to never have it look that good again if you wrap it around a moist pumpkin cake.
The trick is to use parchment paper!
You bake the cake right on the parchment, roll it up in the parchment, and then peel it right off the parchment for the final roll. No mess. No fuss.
The trick to rolling this pumpkin Swiss roll to to just move slowly and carefully. It may split a little as you can see in my photos, but it will all work out in the end!
Freezing directions:
This cake makes a great make ahead fall dessert.
To freeze, just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze whole.
Be sure to allow it to thaw fully before slicing and then you can easily slice and serve the chilled cake.
If you love pumpkin cake recipes as much as I do, you might also want to try my Pumpkin Cupcakes, Layered Pumpkin Cake, or my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake!
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Ingredients
CAKE:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
FILLING:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar optional for decoration
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 15×10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together 3 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined. Mix in 2/3 cup pumpkin puree. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup walnuts.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until top of cake springs back when touched. While the cake is cooking, start making the filling.
- When the cake is done cooking, with cake still on parchment paper, immediately roll up the cake and parchment together while the cake is hot, starting with the narrow end. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the filling:
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until smooth, scraping as needed.
To assemble cake:
- Carefully unroll cake. Gently spread filling over cake.
- Reroll cake while peeling away the parchment paper as you roll.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
- To serve, slice with a serrated edge knife. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Notes
- If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes. If using a stone or ceramic pan, bake time will take longer.
- You may also use a kitchen towel lined with powdered sugar to roll the cake, but I just think parchment paper is the easiest and cleanest method.
- Try your best to prevent cake from splitting as your roll, but if it does, it will still turn out!
- If you have nut allergy concerns, you can omit the nuts or replace with pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do I keep from cracks in the cake rolling it up
Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but if you’re careful, they won’t be bad and you won’t even notice them.
It came out perfect! My first try and the filling is delicious
I just finished making this wonderful recipe desert. Can’t believe how simple it was. Years ago ( I’m 65). U used cheese cloth and it could become sticky. So thank u.
This is a great recipe 😋
I made it a second time and made pumpkin spice cream cheese filling 😲😋
I am so happy I chose to make this recipe over the other ones that I found. It is so simple to make, and it is delicious! The filling even tastes amazing. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe I love it 🤤
Well the parchment paper rolling didn’t work for me. It tore badly and I was very careful. ☹️ I had high hopes.
Didn’t rate it because I haven’t tasted it yet.
This is such a wonderful recipe and it works great for gluten free substitutions. I’ve made 8 batches of this recipe in different variations and each time was a huge success people didn’t even realize it was gluten free!
I made this last week, everyone loved it. I made another one tonight, no orange rind so I added some honey whiskey and both times I used mascarpone instead of cream cheese. Awesome, thank you
Could you make some of your yummy dessert more diabetic friendly, as we all should watch our diets, plus husband is diabetic, but loves to eat!
I haven’t experimented cooking with sugar substitutes and baking is more of a science than an art. I know there are a ton of keto dessert recipes that are diabetic friendly.
Come up with your own recipe then. How rude! (We all need to watch our diets). As if she can’t make full sugar recipes.
I thought I messed up because it said Mix in eggs after you made the flour mixture, so, if you could be a little clearer with your words that would be great. Overall, really yummy!
You’re right! I’m sorry that was confusing. I polished up the recipe to make it more clear. Thanks for letting me know!
I make these every year my daughter’s coworkers ask her when’s Mom making pumpkin rolls so great recipe thank you very much
Super yummy! I added a tiny splash of maple extract in the filling just to give it a little more flare. Turned out wonderful.