Pumpkin Roll

The most perfect combination of pumpkin spice cake and soft cream cheese frosting in every bite. This pumpkin roll comes together very quickly, and my only regret is not doubling the recipe!

My mother-in-law makes what seems like a bazillion pumpkin rolls every year for her friends in the neighborhood at Christmas time. I know, I already busted out the “C” word here in October. Forgive me! Anyway, I’ve never had one before, and also have never had the guts to ask her for one, haha. They always look incredibly delicious, and I’ve always been curious to know how they taste. So… when I found this recipe for a pumpkin roll, I knew I wanted to try it out immediately and see just what all the fuss is about.

And you guys.

HOLY smokes.

It’s pretty freaking amazing, I tell you.

It’s like eating a fun version of a cupcake, but with the frosting swirl coming right at you in a different way. haha. The cake looks a little darker in color because of the lovey spices that pump up the flavor to a solid 10/10. Instead of using separate spices, I just went straight in for the cinnamon, and a full tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. I know that stuff can get pricey (especially if you shop at Harmons), but I found ours for under $4 at Walmart, so check there for sure!

The cake is extremely soft and rolls up beautifully. The step-by-step method is below. Basically, you make the batter, spread it out on a jelly roll pan (thick large cookie sheet), bake, remove from the pan, roll it up, let it cool, unroll it, spread it with the frosting, roll it up, chill it, slice it, and then BAM, pumpkin roll is ready for your fork to dive into – over and over again.

I’ve seen this served with a little bit of powdered sugar sprinkled on top before slicing, and it looks gorgeous, so if you’d like to go that route, it’s totally fine.

I hope you enjoy this pumpkin roll as much as we did! I used it as bribery for the cousins/kids to pick up the cars that where flung all over the room, and I’ve quite honestly never seen them clean up so quickly. haha.

Stay tuned for yet another pumpkin recipe coming this week! If you hate pumpkin, well, I’m pretty sure you have a friend that does, and they’ll name you their favorite if you make any of my pumpkin recipes for them. 😉

Pumpkin Roll

makes one 12″ long roll – 8 slices

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 C sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 C pumpkin puree

1 8oz brick of cream cheese, room temperature

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 C powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until combined.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute. Add in vanilla and pumpkin  until combined, then gently fold in the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Careful not to overmix!

3. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the sides (makes it easier to lift the cake out of the pan after baking). Spritz the parchment paper with a teeny bit of cooking spray, then spread the batter evenly on the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes (until top of cake springs back when touched). Remove from the oven and then carefully move the cake by the parchment paper onto a flat heat-safe surface.

4. Slowly use your hands to roll the cake – short end to short end – until it’s completely rolled up. So yes, keep that parchment paper on when rolling, we’ll take it out later. Transfer the cake roll to a wire rack to let cool completely to room temperature.

5. Make the cream cheese filling: with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until very smooth. If it’s too thick, add in a teeny bit of water (tablespoon at a time), and if it’s too thin, add in some powdered sugar.

6. Transfer the cake roll to a flat surface, carefully unroll it until it’s mostly flat again. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over cake, leaving about an inch border on all sides. Carefully re-roll the cake, gently peeling away the parchment paper as you roll, until you can completely remove it and throw it away. Tightly wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for at least a hour or overnight.

7. Unwrap the pumpkin roll from the plastic wrap and carefully slice the roll into 1/2 inch slices. Refrigerate leftovers – if any!