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Pumpkin roll recipe

Soft Pumpkin Roll Recipe

5 from 7 votes
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When I tell you this pumpkin roll literally melts in your mouth, I honestly mean it! It is so incredible soft and moist, wonderfully spiced and is filled with a not-too-sweet cream cheese buttercream. Best part is, it's easy to make!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 27 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Author: Cakes by MK

IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.

Ingredients
 

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

  • ½ cup (60 g) flour - plain, all purpose
  • ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon - see note 1 if you want to use pumpkin spice seasoning instead of the listed spices
  • ½ tsp ground ginger powder
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp all spice
  • tsp ground cloves
  • ¾ cup (150 g) white granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs - room temperature
  • ¾ cup (180 g) pumpkin puree - I use Libby's 100% pure canned pumpkin (room temp). See note 2 for homemade pumpkin puree.
  • 2 tsp unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
  • cup (40 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered sugar, for dusting on the kitchen towel

Cream Cheese Frosting/Filling

  • cup (80 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
  • 1 cup (125 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered or confectioners sugar
  • 1 cup (225 g) cream cheese - should be cold, and use a firm/block type if possible
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 170 °C (340°F) with the fan on/convection mode (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and line an 18x13 inch (half-sheet) baking tray. You only need to line the tray longways, and I like to lightly grease my pan before lining it so that the baking/parchment paper doesn't move around.
  • Next lay out a clean dry kitchen towel. Dust the 1/3 cup of icing sugar evenly over the towel. You can use your hands to spread out the icing sugar if it feels like the kitchen towel isn't evenly covered. Set the towel aside for now.
  • Next is the cake batter. In a bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
  • In a large bowl combine the sugar and eggs, and using a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed, whip that for 4 minutes until it's thick and fluffy (see note 4). Then turn your mixer down to the lowest speed, and mix for a further minute to get rid of any large air bubbles and stabilise the batter. Get all the batter off of the attachments and the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
  • Add in the pumpkin puree, oil and vanilla, and using a spatula, gently fold that in until almost combined.
  • Add in the presifted dry ingredients from earlier and gently fold that in until just combined. Do not overmix the batter, so only mix until you can't see anymore pockets of unmixed flour.
  • Evenly distribute the batter in the sheet pan. I like to use an offset spatula to spread it out. Once done, give the pan a little shake to level out the batter and then drop it lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. I like to also tap the bottom of the tray a few times.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, or until the top of the cake is set, and slowly bounces back when you touch it.
  • While the cake is still hot, run a thin knife along the long edges of the cake pan to release the cake, and then immediately invert it onto the prepared kitchen towel (see video for demonstration).
  • Roll up the cake in the kitchen towel while it's still warm, and allow it come to room temperature, which should take about an hour or so.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Once the cake is cool, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a bowl combine the unsalted butter and icing sugar, and using a hand or stand mixer on the lowest speed, mix until everything is combined, and then turn up the speed to a medium/high and whip for 2 minutes until it's lighter in colour.
  • Next add in the cold cream cheese and vanilla, and mix until everything is just combined and smooth. Avoid overmixing (see note 5).

Assembly

  • Unroll the cake and then evenly spread out an even layer of the cream cheese frosting, leaving a small section at the end of the cake roll unfrosted (about 1 inch). This will ensure that none of the frosting seeps out the end of the roll.
  • Begin rolling the cake by lifting the kitchen towel. Make an initial tight roll using the help of your hands, and then continue to lift the kitchen towel and let it do the rest of the rolling for you (see video demonstration). Don't worry if some of the skin of your roll sticks to the kitchen towel.
  • Once rolled, cover the cake in cling wrap, ensuring the entire cake is covered (including the bottom).
  • Place in the fridge to firm up for atleast an hour. Once ready, unwrap the roll (see note 6 if the skin comes off), slice the edges off so that you have a nice clean cut on each edge and dust with more icing sugar if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note 1. If you have pumpkin spice seasoning, you can use 2 teaspoons of that in replacement of the spices listed in the ingredients list (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves).
Note 2. If using canned pumpkin, ensure that it's 100% pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling). Although I would recommend using canned pumpkin, fresh pumpkin will work too. You just want to make sure there isn't too much liquid in your homemade pumpkin puree. You can find a great article on how to make homemade pumpkin puree here
Note 3. In this recipe I use an oven with the fan function turned on. The fan forced function cooks food faster, so if your oven doesn't have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 185°C (365°F) so that the sponge cake bakes at the same rate as mine.
Note 4. The amount of time it takes to reach the thick fluffy texture that you want may vary depending on the strength and size of your mixer. 
Note 5. Only mix the frosting until it's smooth. Once it's smooth stop mixing as over-mixing can result in a less stable frosting. This is because of the liquid in the cream cheese breaking down the icing sugar. 
Note 6. If the skin of your cake roll comes off when unwrapping the cling wrap, this could be due to the humidity levels in your fridge. This usually doesn't happen, but I did notice it happen to me when I placed it into a different fridge than the one I usually use. It's not a big deal and doesn't change the taste at all (some people even like it better this way!). Top with extra icing sugar and you're good to go :)
 

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3316IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.

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