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Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll

Pumpkin spice cake roll with a tender, springy sponge and a smooth cream cheese filling, rolled into a tight spiral. Baked quickly in a jelly roll pan, then chilled for clean slices with a dramatic powdered sugar dusting.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin cake
  • 0.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.67 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Cream cheese filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 powdered sugar extra for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cake
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan and line with parchment so the cake releases easily.
  2. Beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick. The mixture should look lighter and ribbon off the beaters when lifted.
  3. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, then beat just until combined. Keep the batter smooth without overmixing.
  4. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Stop when no dry streaks remain.
  5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Aim for an even thickness so it rolls without cracking.
  6. Bake 11-13 minutes at 375F until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Don’t overbake or it will tear during rolling.
  7. Immediately invert the cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel. Peel off the parchment while the cake is still warm and flexible.
  8. Roll the cake in the towel from the short end. Let it cool completely in the rolled shape to set the spiral.
Fill, chill, and finish
  1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, softened unsalted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth. Scrape the bowl for a lump-free filling.
  2. Unroll the cooled cake and spread the filling evenly. Leave a small border so filling doesn’t squeeze out when rerolled.
  3. Re-roll without the towel and wrap in parchment. The parchment helps the roll hold its shape for slicing.
  4. Chill 1 hour to firm up before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar, then slice to serve.

Notes

For the cleanest roll, cool the cake fully while it stays rolled in the towel—this prevents cracks when you unroll to add filling. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freezer not recommended because the sponge can soften after thawing. To make it lower-sugar, substitute powdered sugar with a 1:1 baking sugar alternative for the filling and dusting, and use a reduced-sugar vanilla cream cheese if available.