Pumpkin Roll Recipe
This classic Pumpkin Roll Recipe with a heavenly cream cheese filling is the perfect way to usher in pumpkin season! Libbys Pumpkin Roll has been around for decades and is a perfect autumn or Thanksgiving dessert!
Impress your guests by baking up this autumnal Pumpkin Roll Cake. Step by step instructions will guide you through the process.
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Roll
It was time again for a gathering of my dear college girlfriends. Two years ago, we met up at the Drake in Chicago and shopped, ate, and giggled till we dropped. I stayed up WAY past my 9 PM bedtime. Yes, I’m OLD. In the last two years, we’ve met back for Homecoming and relived our collegiate days, though again we actually went to bed versus staying up all night like back in the day.
Through Facebook, I got requests to bring goodies again to the football tailgate. Something pumpkin and something chocolate topped their list. I had not made this old fashioned pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling in years. In fact, I think my college freshman was in early elementary school, so I had to blow a bit of dust off the recipe to start the process.
Tips for How to Make a Cake Roll
As in the past, I used the classic Libby’s pumpkin roll recipe with a delectable cream cheese filling as a guide. Only tweaking the recipe slightly, I added ginger and decreased the amount of ground cloves and also eliminated the nuts. It may not be perfect tailgate food as it requires a fork, but it certainly disappeared fast! If you’ve never made a cake roll, it can be kind of daunting. But with a few simple tips and some practice, you’ll be acing this recipe time and time again.
- Make sure to line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper. The top must be greased so you can peel it off easily.
- PRO-Tip: Dust a non-terrycloth towel with powdered sugar. This will be used to help roll up the cake. The powdered sugar will help prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.
- Immediately after the pumpkin roll comes out of the oven, run a knife or small metal spatula around the perimeter of the cake and flip it out of the pan and onto the prepared towel. Just do it carefully and use your spare hand to guide the cake so it doesn’t flop out of the pan too quickly.
- Peel off the paper carefully.
- While the cake is still warm, roll it up from one short side to the other. You will be rolling the towel up with the cake to cool.
- Let the rolled cake cool on a wire rack.
- After the cake is cool, unroll, remove the towel, and spread the filling over the surface and reroll sans the towel. Wrap in plastic and chill.
- To serve, remove the plastic wrap and place the cake on a serving dish. Dust with powdered sugar and slice.
Can You Freeze This Roulade?
Yes, a pumpkin roll recipe freezes well. Just wrap well in plastic and make sure to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving. It will keep about 3 months in the freezer and 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
What Kind of Towel Is Used to Roll a Pumpkin Cake?
Do not use a terry cloth towel or a towel with any sort of texture as the cake is bound to stick when it’s unrolled. PRO-Tip: Use a fine weaved, thin kitchen or tea towel instead and make sure to dust it with powdered sugar to help prevent sticking. You can also roll your cake in parchment paper, but I’ve always used a towel.
How Do You Prevent a Cake Roll From Cracking?
The most common cause of a cake roll cracking is when it’s rolled when it’s cooled off too much. PRO-Tip: The cake needs to be rolled right when it comes out of the oven, when it’s most pliable. Turn it out onto a towel well dusted with powdered sugar, roll it, then let the cake cool in the towel on a cooling rack.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
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- Best Carrot Cake
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- Strawberry Filled Meringue Roulade
- Tres Leches Cake Recipe
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Pumpkin Roll Recipe
A classic Pumpkin Roll slightly adapted from Libby's
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Powdered sugar, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º. Grease 15 x10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax or parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin kitchen towel with the ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the top of cake pops back when gently pressed with a finger. Immediately loosen and turn the cake out onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off the paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on a wire rack.
- Beat cream cheese, remaining powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread filling over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 241mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g
48 Comments on “Pumpkin Roll Recipe”
Everything you bake looks so perfect. And this pumpkin roll is no exception. Looks amazing!
I loveeee this recipe and used it a few time, but I always get thrown off with how long does it take for the cake when rolled up to cool. Lol Also, what’s “ reroll sans the towel” mean ?
Hi, Karla,
Yeah, me, too! It’s a thin cake, but I’d start checking at 1-2 hour mark to see if it feels cool enough. “Sans” is French for without. It’s about all I remember from my junior high French 🙂
Amazing! This is definitely the best revipe! Everyone loves it every time! Thanks!
I’m so glad, Angela!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!