Pumpkin Roll Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling Recipe

Pumpkin recipes have a special place in my heart; especially a good pumpkin roll recipe. I may live in Texas, but my hometown is a small town in South Central Ohio called Circleville. As you drive down to the main intersection of town, you find the typical small town courthouse looming above the rest of the buildings near it with a few brick lined streets still lined with the original brick that was laid in the 1800’s. Drive through the downtown portion of Main St., it is quite easy to tell that Ohio State reigns as the college football team of choice.

Circleville really isn’t famous for much. Ted Lewis, the woman who played the maid on 2 and a Half Men were both from here. The biggest claim to fame is The Circleville Pumpkin Show and all the tasty pumpkin recipes that come with it each year.

Pumpkin Roll Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling Recipe

The Pumpkin Show is a really big festival every year celebrating pumpkins, of course! There is the annual contest to see who grew the biggest pumpkin.

Have you ever seen a 1,500 lb pumpkin?

Each year Lindsay’s Bakery bakes their massive 6 foot pumpkin pie. There are vendors, carnival rides, games and of course, loads of tasty pumpkin recipes.

Easy Pumpkin Roll Recipe

You can find pumpkin burgers, pumpkin chili, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin doughnuts and more! My love of all things pumpkin was nurtured each year as my favorite festival rolled into town and this easy pumpkin roll recipe is one of my all-time favorites.

It only tops my second favorite, chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe by a little bit. 😉

Best Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Even though I love a good pumpkin roll recipe, a good, well-made pumpkin roll can be hard to pull off.

A lot of bakers either have the cake turn out too dry or the filling is off. If the filling is too sweet or too bland, the entire combination of flavor falls apart.

Cream Cheese Filling Recipe

Ask my family and they will tell you that over the years, I have perfected my pumpkin roll recipe. The key to the perfect pumpkin roll is quite easy even though the method can be hard.

Your pumpkin roll must have a moist and flavorful cake with a filling that pops and stands on its own too.

Secrets to making the perfect pumpkin roll

This pumpkin roll recipe with a cream cheese frosting recipe is easier to make once you understand a few things;

First, you will need to use a jelly roll pan and not a sheet cake pan. Jelly roll pans are thinner and you need a thin cake portion for a good roll.

Secondly, use a hand mixer. I am not at all sure why, but this pumpkin roll recipe will turn out leaps and bounds better than if you use a stand mixer.

Next, yes you can use homemade pumpkin puree instead of the canned stuff. I have, however, never done it so I do not know how it will affect the taste. Do so at your own risk.

Side Note: Amazon often has great deals on cooking ingredients through their Prime Pantry program. If you’re not a Prime Pantry member, you can score a FREE trial to Prime right HERE. It is well worth having the program.

For the Pumpkin Roll Cake:

• 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 2/3 c. canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• Small amount of powdered sugar for dusting

 

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 TBSP real Butter, softened
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Supplies Needed:

• Jelly Roll Pan
• Parchment Paper 
• Flour Sifter
• 2 Medium Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer
• Clean Kitchen Towel

For prep, preheat your oven to 350° F and grease the jelly roll sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper. Yes, you’re greasing both.

Once that is done, use a flour sifter to lightly sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar onto the parchment paper and set aside.

Also, set the eggs out to allow them to come to room temperature. They will beat much better if you do.

 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on low until they’re well combined.

You’ll know they’re ready when your eggs turn a lighter yellow than beaten eggs normally are.

Once the eggs and sugar combined, add all remaining ingredients for the cake one at a time except for the pumpkin and flour.

Mix well after each addition.

Once the spices and sugars are mixed, add the pumpkin puree and flour. Mix well.

Once your pumpkin roll recipe is ready, you’ll have a not-so-appetizing brown batter in your bowl.

I promise. It tastes better than it looks.

Next, grab the greased jelly roll pan and pour the cake batter into it.

Side note: One of the most common reasons for a pumpkin roll recipe to fail is a lopsided cake. To prevent that with this pumpkin roll recipe, give the entire jelly roll pan a couple of gentle side to side shakes to help the batter to even out.

Bake your pumpkin roll at 350° F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. This usually takes around 12 minutes but could take a bit shorter or longer depending on your oven.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

While the cake is baking, make your filling. Be warned, you will be tempted to stick your finger into it. You must resist the temptation. If you don’t, you won’t have any filling left. The filling is very, very simple to make, but it is very, very amazing.

Combine all of the cream cheese filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well until it has a smooth spreading consistency.

You will need to taste the cream cheese frosting a bit even though I joke not to. Taste it to make sure it’s sweet enough.

If not, add a very tiny amount of powdered sugar and whip again. Rinse and repeat. Once it’s sweet enough for your family, set aside and get ready to put this easy pumpkin roll together.

If your cream cheese filling is too sweet, adding a bit of whole or 2% milk will help cut the sweetness. Just be sure not to add too much. If you do, you’ll have a runny filling/frosting.

Take the kitchen towel and lay it on a flat surface. Using your sifter, make it snow powdered sugar over the towel.

Give it a pretty good dusting because it will transfer to the cake so you want to both see it and taste it.

By this point, the cake portion of your pumpkin roll should be baked. Allow it to cool slightly.

Do NOT let your cake cool entirely. It has to be warm to get through the next steps without ripping to pieces.

Starting at one corner, grab the parchment paper and gently pull it off the cake.

After you have removed all of the parchment paper, take a sharp kitchen knife and trim the edges so that you have a uniform rectangle. It will be easier to roll this way.

Once you’ve trimmed your edges, spread the cream cheese filling onto the cake. Make sure you get edge to edge so that you don’t have any areas without filling.

Now grab one end of your towel and flip it up over the end of the cake.

Then, very slowly and carefully, ROLL the cake into the towel.

Once you’ve got the roll started, remove the towel from your cake log and finish rolling it up!

Make sure you move slowly when you roll. You’ll tear the cake if you move too quickly.

Did you enjoy this recipe? You may also like these:

• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Recipe
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
• Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies Recipe
• How to Freeze Pumpkin & Squash
• Pumpkin Crepes Recipe

 

If your pumpkin roll isn’t staying rolled, you can use a little bit of leftover cream cheese filling to create a seal. Just don’t use too much.

Carefully set it aside and let cool completely!

Chill for 2-3 hours then slice and serve.