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Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

This pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling wraps a soft, spiced pumpkin sponge around a sweet, tangy cream cheese filling. Sliced, it shows a perfect swirl — the Thanksgiving dessert that looks like a bakery showpiece and tastes like pumpkin pie in cake form.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 slices
Calories 320 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar for dusting the towel and the finished roll
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang, and lightly grease the parchment.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients: in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
  • Beat the eggs and sugar: in a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick, pale, and ribbons off the beaters.
  • Add the pumpkin: beat in the pumpkin puree and vanilla on low just until combined.
  • Fold in the flour: sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and fold gently with a spatula just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix.
  • Bake: spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, right into the corners. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Roll it warm: while the cake bakes, lay a clean thin kitchen towel on the counter and dust it generously with powdered sugar. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, flip it onto the towel, peel off the parchment, and — starting from a short end — roll the cake up inside the towel. Let it cool completely in the towel, about 1 hour. This trains the sponge so it will not crack later.
  • Make the filling: beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla together until completely smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Fill and re-roll: carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread the filling evenly over it, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and re-roll it snugly (without the towel this time). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
  • Chill and slice: refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, so the filling sets for clean slices. Dust with powdered sugar, slice with a sharp serrated knife, wiping the blade between cuts, and serve.

Notes

Roll the cake while it is hot. A cooled sponge cracks when rolled; a warm sponge rolled in a sugared towel remembers its shape and unrolls flat for filling.
 
Use pumpkin puree, not pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and makes the sponge too wet and too sweet.
 
Room-temperature cream cheese is non-negotiable. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the filling no amount of beating will fix.
 
Dust generously. Powdered sugar on the towel stops the warm cake from sticking, and a final dusting before serving hides any small imperfections.
 
Chill before slicing. A cold roll slices cleanly and shows the swirl; a warm roll squishes and smears the filling.
Keyword fall pumpkin cake roll, pumpkin roll recipe, pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling, pumpkin swiss roll, thanksgiving pumpkin dessert