The Best Pumpkin Roll Recipe Easy Foolproof

The secret is simple. This pumpkin roll is made with a genoise cake, resulting in a light and fluffy cake roll that is not too sweet, and still incredibly soft, unlike pretty much every other pumpkin roll recipe out there.

Why I love this recipe

This recipe is slightly different from a classic pumpkin roll recipe in that the base of this pumpkin roll is a pumpkin flavored genoise sponge cake! Because this is made with sponge cake, the cake is light, so airy, and not too sweet. Whereas other pumpkin rolls are generally dense, sticky, wet, and heavy. Instead of cream cheese frosting, I prefer to fill my pumpkin roll with a whipped cream cheese filling. Which is equally as light, and is perfect with the sponge pumpkin roll. This cake has a melt in your mouth texture because the cake and filling are so airy and light. Step by step instructions will make sure that this cake is easy to follow for anyone! I adapted this pumpkin roll cake from my vanilla swiss roll cake that is loved by so many, so you know the results will be amazing!

This cake does involve some technical steps for making the sponge cake batter, but I provide step by step instructions to walk you through the process. The results are worth the effort because the cake is absolutely delicious, just like all my other roll cakes (vanilla swiss roll, chocolate swiss roll, rainbow swiss roll etc.). This is one of my favorite pumpkin desserts, and I don’t even wait until pumpkin season to make it. The pumpkin flavor is just perfect, with an extra depth of flavor from the spices. And the filling won’t overpower the pumpkin flavor, and there is no heavy, sweet buttercream either.

Ingredients to make this pumpkin roll recipe

Whole eggs – The base for this pumpkin roll, since this is a genoise sponge swiss roll. Brown sugar – To give the pumpkin roll cake a sweet, molassey flavor. You can use either dark brown or light brown sugar. If you don’t have either, you can substitute with caster sugar or granulated sugar. Flour – To give the cake enough structure to hold up against the added pumpkin puree, I use a little more all purpose flour than my vanilla swiss roll. And unlike the basic swiss roll recipe, I don’t add cornstarch here. Baking powder – Gives lift to the cake to keep it light and fluffy. Spices & flavoring – A combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves (pumpkin spice) adds a lovely, flavorful warmth to the cake. Pumpkin puree – You can use canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree for this. Warm the puree before mixing it in with the batter. Warm puree mixes easily than stiff, cold puree. When I used to live in the US, I used Libby’s pumpkin puree, but in Canada I use E. D Smith pumpkin puree. Do NOT use canned pumpkin pie filling. Melted butter – I mix the melted butter with the puree so that they can be mixed into the cake batter together.

How to make pumpkin roll

This recipe for pumpkin roll is easy and involves the following.

Step one – Prep all your ingredients

Make sure to have all the ingredients measured and ready to go before you start. This includes the following.

Prepare your baking pan – Prep a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper with an overhang, and butter and flour any sides that are exposed. I prefer to butter the pan rather than using cooking spray / non-stick spray. Bring a pot of water to a simmer – about 2 to 3 inches of water. The mixing bowl should fit over the pot without touching the water. Measure the dry ingredients and sift them together. This includes the flour, baking powder, and spices. Melt the butter and warm the pumpkin puree together. Add the vanilla to this mixture too. Into a large mixing bowl (or any large bowl), add the eggs, salt, and sugar. Once in the bowl, whisk lightly to combine.

Step two – Make the pumpkin roll cake

The first step is to heat the egg mixture until it’s warm to the touch. Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water and whisk until it’s warm to the touch (110 – 120 F). Whisk the warmed egg mixture in your stand mixer for 5 – 6 minutes, until tripled in size, and you can form ribbons with the batter. Sift the dry ingredients over the surface of the egg foam. Carefully fold them in, rotating the bowl as you go. Be careful not to deflate the batter by over-mixing. Add some of the batter to the pumpkin mixture and mix to loosen it up. Then add this back to the batter and fold it in. Since the pumpkin mixture is heavy, evenly spoon it over the surface to prevent the pumpkin from sinking to the bottom. This last step is important because you don’t want to deflate the pumpkin swiss roll batter. Otherwise, you will end up with a dense pumpkin roll. Spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan using an offset spatula and bake in the preheated oven until the cake is baked through. The cake is ready when the cake springs back when touched, or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Step three – Roll the cake (simple tips for best results!)

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool only for about a minute. You have to roll up the cake while it’s still warm, because a warm cake sheet is more pliable. The bottom of the cake is the presentation side. The top surface is where the filling goes, so it should be facing up while rolling, while the bottom side will be facing out once the cake is rolled up. You can roll the pumpkin swiss roll in the same parchment paper that it was baked in. OR carefully flip the cake over, peel off the parchment paper, and then flip it back over onto a new parchment paper. You could use a tea towel / cloth napkin instead as well, but I prefer parchment paper. Dust the top surface of the pumpkin cake roll with confectioner’s sugar. Just like I did for the vanilla swiss roll, I like to make two shallow parallel cuts close to one of the short ends of the cake. This makes rolling up the cake easy. I also make a diagonal cut at the opposite short end which helps create a neat seal once the cake is rolled up. These are both optional steps, but they ensure a neat, perfect pumpkin roll. Roll up the cake firmly but not too tight. Make sure you’re rolling up the cake with parchment paper as this will prevent the cake from sticking to itself. Wrap the cake with another piece of parchment paper or a cloth napkin and let it cool completely to room temperature. Keep the cake roll with the seam side down.

Step four – Make the cream cheese filling

The cream cheese filling that I use for this easy pumpkin roll recipe is not a buttercream, but a whipped cream. It’s light and has a wonderful tanginess from the cream cheese. To make this whipped cream and cream cheese filling, first whisk the cream cheese until creamy and fluffy. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it whips better. Scrape out the cream cheese into a bowl, and whip chilled heavy cream (35% fat) with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, until you have soft peaks. Add the cream cheese mixture back into the whipped cream, and whip until you have creamy whipped cream that is at stiff peaks. I prefer to mix the cream cheese back into the whipped cream by hand, but you can use a stand mixer on low speed too.

Step five – Fill the pumpkin roll

When the cake has cooled, unroll the cake. Spread the cream cheese whipped cream filling evenly over the surface, leaving a border at the short side with the diagonal cut. Roll up the cake again, releasing the parchment paper from the cake as you go. Tighten the cake to keep an even spiral shape, but take care not to squeeze out too much of the frosting.

Step six – Chill the cake

Wrap the cake with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to chill the cake. Trim the edges to make the pumpkin roll neat. Make sure to use a warm serrated knife for this.

Step seven – Dust with powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) and serve.

Other variations of this cake

I don’t like to add any extra flavoring to the cake base because I like to keep the pumpkin flavor prominent here. But you can change up the filling for other variations of this pumpkin swiss roll.

Use stabilized chantilly cream for an even lighter filling. Add 1/2 tsp instant coffee for a light coffee-flavored filling. This will be reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte! Add some cocoa powder to the whipped cream for a chocolate pumpkin roll.

Storage instructions

This pumpkin cream cheese roll will taste best within the first few days. It can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days. An unfilled, rolled cake can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Wrap the rolled up cake in plastic wrap (at least 2 layers), and then in a layer of foil. Then place it in a large enough container so that it doesn’t get crushed during storage. This will also help the cake maintain its shape. Thaw it out until it’s at room temperature before unrolling and filling.