Description
This Cinnamon Pumpkin Roll recipe is a delightful fall treat featuring a moist pumpkin-spiced cake rolled with a creamy vanilla cream cheese filling. Perfect for autumn gatherings or holiday desserts, this recipe yields a tender cake with warm spices and a rich frosting that complements the pumpkin flavor beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly made)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Finishing:
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it’s at the right temperature when your batter is ready to bake.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend these ingredients until smooth and consistent in texture.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: In a separate bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy without any lumps.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, salt, and all-purpose flour to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Mix Batter: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring gently and just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into a prepared jelly roll pan, spreading it evenly across the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Roll: Remove the baked cake and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, invert it onto a clean towel dusted generously with powdered sugar. Roll the cake and towel together carefully, and allow it to cool completely in this rolled shape.
- Fill and Re-roll: Once the cake has fully cooled, gently unroll it from the towel, spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the surface, and roll it back up tightly without the towel.
- Chill: Wrap the assembled pumpkin roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set the filling and make slicing easier.
Notes
- Use fresh or canned pumpkin puree; ensure it is plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling which contains spices and sugar.
- Dusting the towel with powdered sugar prevents the cake from sticking while rolling.
- Chilling the roll before slicing helps the cream cheese filling firm up for cleaner slices.
- For an extra touch, sprinkle additional cinnamon or powdered sugar on top before serving.
- Store leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
