Desserts / Cakes & cheesecakes
Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
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Roll the spiced pumpkin cake while it's still warm, in a sugared towel, and it bends instead of cracking. The year ours split in half, we filled both pieces and nobody complained.
The short version
Whip eggs and sugar until thick, fold in pumpkin, flour and spice, spread in a 15×10-inch pan and bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Roll it hot in a sugared towel, cool an hour, unroll, fill with cream cheese, reroll and chill an hour. Don't overbake it.
What makes ours better
the tricks Nonna pretends she never taught me
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Whip the eggs and sugar until thick. Beating them for a few minutes until pale and tripled turns the batter into a true sponge. The cake bakes up light and bendy, and a bendy cake doesn't crack when you roll it.
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Roll it hot, in a sugared towel, starting at a scored edge. A warm cake is flexible and cools into the curve, so the second roll with filling follows the shape it already knows. A shallow cut near the starting edge lets that first tight turn bend instead of split.
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A tangier, less sugary filling. Less powdered sugar and a pinch of salt make the filling taste like cheesecake instead of frosting, which balances the sweet, spiced cake.
What you need
the cast, in order of appearance
- Powdered sugar⅓ cup
- All-purpose flour¾ cup
- Ground cinnamon1½ teaspoons
- Pumpkin puree⅔ cup
- Eggs3 large
- Packed light brown sugar½ cup
- Vanilla extract1 teaspoon
- Full-fat brick cream cheese8 ounces
Cake
Filling
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
nobody opens the oven door. looking at you, Dad.
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Set up pan and towel
Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 15×10-inch rimmed baking pan, line it with parchment and grease the parchment too. Lay a thin cotton or flour-sack towel (not terry cloth) flat on the counter and sift the ⅓ cup of powdered sugar evenly over it.
Sift it in an even layer. Thick patches turn gummy against the warm cake.
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Mix the dry ingredients
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
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Whip the eggs and sugar
In a large bowl or a stand mixer with the whisk, beat the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high until pale, thick and about tripled, 4 to 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 7 to 10 with a hand mixer. When you lift the beater, the batter should fall in a ribbon that sits on the surface for a few seconds. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla on low just until blended.
Don't cut this short. The air you beat in now is what lets the cake roll.
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Fold in the flour
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the batter in two additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula after each, just until you don't see dry flour. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly into the corners with an offset spatula.
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Bake
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the center springs back when you press it lightly and the edges are just starting to pull away from the pan.
Check at 11 minutes. A few minutes too long dries the cake, and a dry cake cracks.
About 13 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Roll it hot
Run a knife around the edges, then flip the hot cake onto the sugared towel and peel off the parchment. With a knife, make a shallow cut across the cake about 1 inch in from one short end, through the skin but not all the way down. Starting at that end, roll the cake up snugly with the towel inside it. Set it seam side down on a rack and let it cool completely, about 1 hour.
Work fast. The cake rolls easily for only a few minutes out of the oven.
About 60 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Make the filling
Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth with no lumps, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat on low, then medium, until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes more.
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Fill and reroll
Gently unroll the cooled cake on the towel; it will want to curl, which is fine. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a ½-inch border on the sides and 1 inch at the far end. Reroll it from the scored end, this time without the towel, keeping it snug. A little filling squeezing out the end is normal.
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Chill and slice
Wrap the roll in plastic and refrigerate it seam side down for at least 1 hour, until the filling is firm. Trim the ends, dust with powdered sugar and slice about 1½ inches thick with a serrated knife.
About 60 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
things I learned the hard way, so you can skip that part
- Pan size matters. A 15×10-inch (jelly-roll) pan gives the right thickness. A 13×9-inch quarter sheet makes a thicker cake that cracks more easily; add a minute or two to the bake and roll it carefully.
- No towel? Roll the cake up in a sheet of parchment dusted with powdered sugar instead. It works the same way.
- Add ½ cup of finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the filling, or scatter them over the cake before you spread it.
- Make ahead. The filled roll keeps 2 days in the fridge and slices best when cold.
- Storage. Wrapped in the fridge, 4 days. Wrapped in plastic and then foil, it freezes for 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight and slice while still cold.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Why did my pumpkin roll crack?
Usually the cake was overbaked or it cooled before you rolled it. Pull it as soon as the center springs back and roll it right away, while it's hot. A crack on the outside is cosmetic; a dusting of powdered sugar hides it.
Why did my pumpkin roll stick to the towel?
The towel needed more powdered sugar, or it was terry cloth, which grabs the surface. Use a smooth cotton towel with an even layer of sifted sugar.
Can I make a pumpkin roll ahead of time?
Yes. It keeps 2 days in the fridge, wrapped, and it freezes well for 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and slice it cold.
Can I use parchment instead of a towel?
Yes. Dust a sheet of parchment with powdered sugar, flip the hot cake onto it, and roll it up in the parchment the same way.
Do I have to roll it while it's warm?
Yes. A warm sponge is flexible and remembers the shape it cools in. Rolled cold for the first time, it cracks.
From the table
Made it? Tell me how it went, and who went back for seconds when they thought nobody was looking.
Made it?
be honest. I can take it. probably.
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Published October 26, 2026.