Skip to content

Get recipes sent to your inbox! Subscribe now

Published on November 25, 2020 by Raveaboutfood

It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Roll in our house. This dessert has become a family tradition….a thin layer of pumpkin cake filled with sweet cream cheese filling and rolled into a log. It is beautiful and delicious! And it is not difficult to make, taking about an hour from beginning to end…and the results are divine. The perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving table!

Pumpkin Roll

Make this pumpkin roll for the holidays and you’ll be wondering why you haven’t made it before. Warm with the flavor of pumpkin spice and sweet from the cream cheese filling- it’s a dessert you won’t be able to resist!

Pumpkin Roll Recipe

What’s needed?

For the Cake:

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin (solid-pack)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped

For the Filling:

  • 12 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

How to make Pumpkin Roll?

  • Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Eggs will be frothy and fluffy.
  • Beat in the sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured jelly roll pan, approximately 11×16-inch baking pan with a lip. Spread batter evenly and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Pumpkin Roll
  • Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until firm and golden.
  • Remove from the oven and carefully loosen the edges and bottom of the cake from the pan with a large spatula.
  • Lay out a thin cotton dish towel and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Carefully flip the cake onto the dish towel and roll it up. Cool the cake for 10 minutes.
How to make Pumpkin Roll
  • While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Mix all filling ingredients together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. Unroll the cake and spread cream filling over the entire roll. Reroll the cake and trim the ends with a sharp knife.
Rolling up the cake with cream inside.
  • Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. This recipe makes 8 servings. The cake is delicious with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It is the best Fall dessert and will quickly become a family favorite.
Pumpkin Roll

For more yummy pumpkin desserts, check out these recipes for Mini Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin Crunch, and Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies. The tastes of Fall can be found in these and many other seasonal recipes!

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll is a thin layer of pumpkin cake filled with cream cheese frosting that is rolled into a log. The perfect Thanksgiving dessert!
Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
cooling time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 

For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin, solid-pack
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped

For the filling:

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions 

  • Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Eggs will be frothy and fluffy.
  • Beat in the sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured jelly roll pan, approximately 11″ by 16″ baking pan with a lip. Spread batter evenly and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
  • Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until firm and golden. Remove from the oven and carefully loosen the edges and bottom of the cake from the pan with a large spatula.
  • Lay out a thin cotton dish towel and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Carefully flip the cake onto the dish towel and roll up the dish towel and the cake together into a log. Cool the cake for 10 minutes.
    Pumpkin Roll
  • While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Mix all filling ingredients together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. Unroll the cake and spread cream cheese filling over the entire roll. Reroll the cake and trim the ends with a sharp knife.
  • Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Recipe makes 8 servings.
    Pumpkin Roll

Equipment

  • 1 11×16-inch baking pan with a lip

Nutrition

Calories: 554kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 9gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 405mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 1gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 1674IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 2mg