Pumpkin roll is a classic and beautiful fall dessert that always impresses. This homemade pumpkin roll recipe yields a moist spiced pumpkin cake with a thick layer of tightly packed cream cheese frosting inside. We’re demystifying the cake roll-making process with helpful instructions and a video tutorial, plus you can review all of my helpful tips to ensure your pumpkin roll is a success.
One reader, Lari, commented: “This is such a great recipe! I’ve made it a few times. I’m not a pumpkin flavor fan at all (except pie), but this is wonderful. I brought it on a few occasions to holiday dinners—both Thanksgiving and Christmas—and always well received. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of rolling the cake!”
Like pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll is a classic fall dessert. But unlike its pie counterpart, its swirled presentation is particularly show stopping and impressive. While this rolled cake isn’t a difficult recipe, making jelly roll cakes can seem intimidating. After all, cake rolls look complicated. A rolled-up cake…what?
Tell Me About This Pumpkin Roll
- Flavor: This pumpkin roll is full of spiced pumpkin flavor that pairs beautifully with the tangy cream cheese frosting inside.
- Texture: Enjoy a soft and moist cake, plus cool, creamy, silky cream cheese frosting in every single bite. What a pair!
- Ease: Did you know that pumpkin roll is actually rolled… twice? The first time you roll the cake, it must be warm to establish the shape. You can see more on that in “Roll the Cake While It’s Warm” below. Cool the cake in this rolled-up shape, and then unroll, fill with frosting, and then roll back up.
- Time: The batter is fairly quick to prepare, and since this cake is so thin, it has a much shorter bake time than regular pumpkin cake. The shaped roll does need to cool down for a few hours before unrolling, frosting, and rolling back up, so be sure to leave enough time.
A Few Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Roll
- Flour: Because of the thick and wet batter, we use sturdy all-purpose flour instead of cake flour for the base.
- Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice: These are pumpkin’s favorite spices and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! But instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Sometimes I use closer to 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin: We can’t have pumpkin roll without pumpkin! If desired, you can use fresh pumpkin puree, but I really do recommend canned pumpkin puree if it’s available to you. I usually use Libby’s brand in this recipe. You’ll have some pumpkin puree left over in the can, and you can use it up in one of these recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
**You’ll notice this pumpkin batter is made without butter or oil. Why? We’re keeping this cake light and spongy so it can easily roll up.
Here’s How You Bake & Shape Pumpkin Roll
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
- Make the pumpkin cake batter. Spread it into a lined 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, which is the only size pan that works for this recipe. Good news: a quality pan is inexpensive, and you’ll use it again if you bake pumpkin bars.
- Bake. You know it’s done when the cake springs back when you poke it with a finger.
- Prepare the kitchen towel or parchment paper. This is the most important step! While the cake is baking, lay a thin kitchen towel or parchment paper flat on the counter. Sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the towel/parchment. Peel the parchment paper off the warm cake, then, starting with the narrow end, gently roll the cake up with the towel/parchment on the bottom. The cake will be warm, since it just came out of the oven.
- Let the cake cool. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up in the towel/parchment. I usually stick mine in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to speed it up.
Pumpkin Roll Cake Must Be Shaped While Warm
Let me explain why it’s important to roll the cake with a thin towel or parchment paper while it’s warm.
- We roll the pumpkin roll cake in a towel or piece of parchment to prevent it from sticking to itself.
- Rolling the cake while it’s warm allows it to cool in the rolled shape. That means no cracks, rips, or tears when you roll it up again with the filling inside.
Like many beginner bakers, you can master a pumpkin roll with this recipe. Then you can go on to confidently make other cake rolls, such as this epic vertical cake or even a yule log (Bûche De Noël).
Cream Cheese Frosting
As the rolled-up cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting. The recipe is a simple scaled-down version of my regular cream cheese frosting recipe. Now let’s fill the cake:
- Unroll the cooled cake. Take your time with this step. Gently unroll and flatten the cake out, then spread a thick layer of frosting evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the cake. Carefully and tightly roll the cake back up, without the towel/parchment this time. Some frosting may spill out the sides, and that’s ok!
- Refrigerate. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Refrigerating the cake for this short amount of time ensures a neater slice and tastier bite.
See Your Pumpkin Rolls:
So many of you have tried this recipe. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media @sallysbakeblog.
More Perfect Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Muffins & Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Bread
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- Recipes to Make With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ favorite pumpkin dessert recipes.
Print
Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Roll
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
How to make the BEST pumpkin roll! It’s moist, pumpkin spiced, easy, and filled with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (150g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- for rolling: 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Read the instructions through before beginning. Make sure you are prepared for step 7 immediately when that cake comes out!
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 10×15-inch baking pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter, so the parchment paper sticks. Then line it with parchment paper so the cake seamlessly releases in step 5. Spray or grease the parchment paper too. We want an extremely nonstick surface for this cake roll.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Give the pan a shake to make sure the batter is level and reaches the corners. Bake for 17–18 minutes, or until the cake springs back when you poke it with a finger.
- Meanwhile, lay a thin kitchen towel flat on the counter. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the towel. Peel off the parchment paper, then, starting with the narrow end, begin rolling the cake up with the towel. Do this slowly and gently. The cake will be warm, as it just came out of the oven.
- Allow the cake to cool completely while rolled up in the towel. I stick mine in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to speed it up.
- Remove the cake roll from the refrigerator and allow to sit on the counter for a few minutes to warm back up a bit as you prepare the frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy.
- Gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread frosting evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the cake. Gently and slowly roll the cake back up, without the towel this time. Make sure you’re rolling it tightly. Some frosting may spill out the sides—that’s ok!
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the cake through step 7 and chill the rolled up cake/towel in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before continuing with step 8. Prepared cake roll, with frosting, freezes well for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10×15-inch Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Whisk | Glass Mixing Bowls | Rubber Spatula | Towel | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Adapted from Libby’s.
This pumpkin roll is delicious! So easy to make and the taste is heavenly. I recently took your recipe and used it for Pumpkin Sponge Cupcakes by doubling everything except the sugar and brown sugar. I cut the brown sugar out and used 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar only. I kept to the instructions but poured into large cupcake pans with papers and made 18 cupcakes. Seeing I could not find any Pumpkin Sponge Cupcake recipes online and out of my desperation for a pumpkin sponge cupcake, I chose your Pumpkin Roll recipe because it is so wonderful. This worked beautifully! I frost the cupcakes with either a maple cream cheese buttercream or a maple cream cheese whipped cream. Thank you for having the best Pumpkin Roll Sponge with that great versatility, Sally! My addiction is thoroughly satisfied!
Is it possible to use self rising flour for this recipe? I either have short Patent or self rising at home at the moment
Hi Jamie! We don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results. Best to stick with all purpose flour.
I loved making this recipe! Could this be adapted for a Gingerbread version for Christmas?
Hi Ashley, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! We haven’t tested a gingerbread roll cake, but let us know if you find one you love.
This recipe was hard but worth it. My family loved it !
Amazing recipe and instructions. My only qualm is user error. Where Sally wrote “ Spray or grease the parchment paper too. We want an extremely nonstick surface for this cake roll,” I think I overdid it. As a result, my powdered sugar ended up sticking to the cake in clumps and creating a bit of a cracked turtle shell look on the outside as opposed to the typical powdered sugar look. Next time I will use less oil or pat the cake dry with a towel before rolling! Tastes DELICIOUS though.
Great recipe! I whipped the cream cheese mixture until smooth and fluffy and the texture was amazing!
Is tripling this recipe okay to do? I know some don’t turn out right when doubled or tripled…
Hi Donna, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling or tripling.
Can I make the pumpkin roll fully tonight and keep in the refrigerator until it is served tomorrow
Hi Julie! That should be fine, though it may lose a little texture. See recipe notes for details on preparing the cake through step 7, then finishing the next day for the best results.
Can i use a can of solid pack pumpkin instead of the puree
Hi Thea, yes that is what is used in this recipe! These are all usually the same thing: canned pumpkin puree, solid-pack pumpkin, 100% pumpkin. Hope you enjoy the roll!
I have only pumpkin pie mix instead of puree. I am guessing I adjust the sugars and pumpkin pie spices so its not too sweet and overly pumpkin spicy – do you have any suggestions about what measurements to use
Hi Emily, for best results, we recommend waiting until you have a can of pure pumpkin puree to use. In addition to having the added sugars and spices, the pie filling isn’t the same consistency as the puree, so the results will be compromised. Best to stick with pumpkin puree here!
I made this today using the vanilla buttercream frosting,its delicious!
Can I leave it over the counter or it has tro be refrigerated?Thank you!
Hi Liza, the cake will be okay at room temperature for a short while as you’re serving it, but it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. So glad you enjoyed it!
Sally has the best recipes! Loved this pumpkin roll. Followed the directions as per the recipe and it came out deliciously.
Easy to follow! I never bothered making a pumpkin roll before because I thought it would be to complicated…silly me! Sally made it easy to follow and so delicious …my husband’s favorite
Does the cake need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Michele, we recommend storing this cake in the refrigerator, yes. Hope you love it!
One more quick question. Can I use the whipped cream filling from your chocolate cake roll instead of the cream cheese? Would that filling freeze ok for a couple days? Thanks much!!
Hi Karen, you can certainly use that filling here! You should be able to freeze it, yes.
Sally – I’d like to make this for an early Thanksgiving dinner next weekend. I have a half sheet pan. I can get a jelly roll pan. But can I adapt this for the pan I have? Should I increase the proportions to do that? Do you have any advice? Thanks!!!
Hi Karen, a half sheet pan that’s 12×17 inches in size holds 12 cups of batter, while a jelly roll pan that’s 10×15 inches holds 10 cups of batter, so you would need to increase the amounts of everything proportionately. Maybe easier to just buy (or borrow, if possible!) a jelly roll pan to make this pumpkin roll!
Hi Karen, I don’t know if it’s too late for you, but I multiplied everything by 1.4 to fit the half sheet pan and it worked well (I never made it in a jelly roll pan though♀️)… I skipped the partial egg portion, though I guess you can crack and weigh the eggs (50g per egg) to be precise
sally I am new to your site and am having a little trouble finding the recipes I want to cook right away. could you help me out please? Is there an index where I can just type in the cake or cookies I want and if you have a recipe for it it pops up right away? Like if I type in Choc role cake, or spice role cake would I get it right away? I love your recipes so far and your notes are amazing and soo helpful I am trying to make my favorites all over again but I don’t have the patience to scroll through dozens of recipes just to find ONE.
I hope I am not being a pain ,I just am 80 yrs. young and would like to have a couple of hundred that I really know people love that are easy for me and not too much ingredience. I also am looking for a really “rock your socks off” pineapple upside down cake . It is my signature cake and everybody wants it and my cheese cakes but I believe everybody can always learn new ways to do better and easier if we are not afraid just to ask. So I am doing just that. I soo appreciate you willingness to explain why you use what you use. this is the real art of cooking . I always wanted to go to cullanary school but raising sometimes dozens of delinquent kids never gave the time or money. but thank the Lord now that I have some time to just me and a caregiver that can’t cook at all. we can both be your student. thank you soo much.
Hi Grammie B, we’re happy to help. You can search all of our recipes by using the magnifying glass in the upper right hand corner of every webpage. Or, here is our recipe index, where you can use filters to search through recipes. And here is our pineapple upside down cake recipe—a team and reader favorite! Let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe was delicious!! I cooked a Cinderella pumpkin & used the puree from that…it was absolutely amazing!!!!! Kudos to an excellent recipe
Can you freeze this till the day of event.
Hi Nancy, you certainly can. The prepared cake roll, with frosting, freezes well for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
Easy and delicious. I will use a slightly larger pan than the recipe called for next time so the layers are thinner.
Hi,I am planning to make this but my husband does not want cream cheese,do you have any recommendation as to what frosting I can used instead.Thank you!!
Hi Liza, You can use vanilla buttercream, or even marshmallow creme or Swiss meringue would work. Enjoy!
This is delicious. Very rich but worth it! Came out perfectly and was devoured by my coworkers!
This recipe is amazing! I was terrified to make any kind of roll cake, but the step by step directions made it seem easy. Wonderful sponge and beautiful flavor. I was thinking about trying to make whoopie pies with it. Any suggestions or tips that could help?
This recipe is amazing! I was terrified to make any kind of roll cake, but the step by step directions made it seem easy. Wonderful sponge and beautiful flavor. I was thinking about trying to make whoopie pies with it. Any suggestions or tips that could help?
Just curious, I’m planning on baking this recipe but wondering about the taste v the taste of the best ever pumpkin cake
Hi Iris, they taste pretty similar. This one is a little more spongey.
I have never made a rolled cake before but it is on my list to try! Would this work with a carrot cake recipe?
Absolutely! Though, I haven’t tested it with any of my own carrot cake recipes. I know there are some carrot cake roll recipes online elsewhere though. Let me know if you try any others! I want to try it soon.
It cracked several places so I had to start over and used a different recipe. Smells great.
Hi Betty Ann, we’re so sorry to hear you had troubles with the cake cracking. Any chance you chilled the roll in the refrigerator? If so, we would let it sit at room temperature for a little bit so it’s not cold – that will help avoid some of the cracking next time. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Hello. I make pumpkin rolls every year and always use the towel method but this year I read to try to roll the cake with the parchment paper you bake it on instead. My cake cracked when I unrolled it. Ideas? It seems a bit thicker than usual also so that could be why too. Still tastes great though! Lol. Thanks