Have you ever made a roll cake before? It may seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually quite simple. Basically, you make a sheet cake in a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan, roll it up, cool, unroll, frost, then roll it back up and let it chill. I’ll share all my best tips for making the process as easy as possible. Vegan Pumpkin Roll cakes are great gifts, so bake a few and make your friends and family happy this fall.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
Pumpkin pureé – Not pumpkin pie mix, make sure to use pumpkin pureé from a can, nothing else added. I haven’t tried using fresh pumpkin here, but it can vary in terms of how watery or thick it is and throw off the recipe. Stick with canned for best results. Applesauce – I haven’t tried using anything else, but non-dairy yogurt might work. Oil makes the cake too heavy for rolling, which is why I’m using applesauce here. Sugar Vanilla Flour – I used all purpose. I’m sure a gluten free mix would work, I like King Arthur Flour for gluten free. Baking powder Baking soda Pumpkin pie spice – Don’t have it? Substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. Salt Vegan butter + vegetable shortening – For the frosting. May use all vegan butter if desired, or all shortening if you don’t have vegan butter. Powdered sugar – For the frosting and to dust the cake with once done. Lemon juice – This adds a little tartness to the frosting that is wonderful without being overpowering. More vanilla Plant milk – To thin the frosting if needed. I used soy milk.
How to make vegan pumpkin roll
This is simply an overview with photos, scroll down to find the complete, printable recipe.
Helpful tips
Add a liberal amount of powdered sugar to the dish towel. This will help prevent the cake from sticking to the towel. Don’t hesitate when inverting the cake. One swift motion is what’s needed here. If you flip it slowly it will completely break. If this is too intimidating for you, simply remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper, and roll it up using that instead of a towel. It still works, but it may crack a little easier. If you have some cracks: If the cracks are pretty small, they can be fixed with frosting and a dusting of powdered sugar. A couple small cracks are not a big deal. If things go wrong and it cracks more than that, well it will still taste amazing! But it shouldn’t crack if you follow the instructions.
Frosting options
I’ve included a recipe for a delicious cream cheese-like frosting here, but you could always use another frosting instead, such as my Vegan Vanilla Frosting or Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Did you know that Duncan Hines has several frostings that happen to be vegan, such as their cream cheese frosting, buttercream and more? Feel free to use a store bought option to make this even easier!
More vegan pumpkin recipes you’ll love
Vegan Pumpkin Bars Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Pecan Frosting Vegan Pumpkin Bread The Best Vegan Pumpkin Cookies Vegan Pumpkin Pie Vegan Pumpkin Scones
