Famous Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Name: Famous Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar (I usually use a little less because I prefer my desserts less sweet); ⅔ cup canned pumpkin purée; ¾ cup all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; Pinch of nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon salt; 8 oz cream cheese, softened; 6 tablespoons butter, softened; 1 cup powdered sugar (I personally use much less — sometimes only a few tablespoons — because I don't like the filling overly sweet); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste; Powdered sugar, for dusting

My most-requested easy pumpkin roll recipe — soft, perfectly spiced pumpkin cake rolled around a creamy cream cheese filling, and the best part: it doesn't crack.

Serves

10 slices

Prep

25 min

Cook

15 min

Famous Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

This pumpkin roll recipe is one of my most requested fall desserts. It's soft, perfectly spiced, filled with a creamy cream cheese filling, and the best part — it doesn't crack. You can make it the easy way with canned pumpkin, or use fresh pumpkin purée like I did this time. Both work beautifully. Below you'll find my method for how to roll a pumpkin roll without cracking, plus answers to the questions I get most: does it need to be refrigerated, and can you freeze it.

Instructions

Prepare the Pan

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2
Line a half-sheet pan or large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3
Lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. This makes removing the cake much easier later.

Make the Pumpkin Batter

1
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes very light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
2
Add the pumpkin purée and mix just until combined.
3
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
4
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. Do not overbeat the batter.

Bake

1
Spread the batter evenly over the prepared parchment-lined pan.
2
Bake at 350°F until the cake is set and springs back lightly when touched.
3
Remove it from the oven and let it sit for only a few minutes. Do not let it cool completely before rolling.

Roll the Cake While Warm

1
Lay a clean kitchen towel on your work surface.
2
Keep the cake on its parchment paper and carefully transfer it onto the towel. There is no need to dust the towel with powdered sugar.
3
Starting from one short end, roll the warm cake up together with the parchment paper and kitchen towel.
4
Let the rolled cake cool completely. This is my method, and it works beautifully without cracking.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling

1
In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
2
Adjust the powdered sugar to your taste. Use the full cup for a sweeter filling, or reduce it if you prefer something less sweet like I do.

Fill the Roll

1
Once the cake has completely cooled, gently unroll it and carefully peel away the parchment paper.
2
Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cake.
3
Roll the cake back up gently, this time without the parchment paper or towel.

Chill

1
Wrap or cover the pumpkin roll and refrigerate until firm and well chilled. Chilling helps the filling set and makes the roll much easier to slice neatly.

Finish and Serve

1
Before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar.
2
For a prettier presentation, especially if you're taking it somewhere or serving guests, trim a thin piece from both ends of the roll. This gives you those clean, beautiful spirals like in the photo.

Fresh Pumpkin Version

1
If you want to make this with real pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin, it works beautifully. I used about half of a medium pumpkin.
2
Cook the pumpkin until completely soft, then drain it very well.
3
Mash it with a fork until smooth, just like pumpkin purée.
4
Measure out ⅔ cup and use it exactly the same way as canned pumpkin in the recipe.
5
The fresh pumpkin version may be slightly darker and less bright orange than the canned version, but I think the flavor is even better.

Toti’s Tips

✓Beat the eggs and sugar really well at the beginning — a full 3–4 minutes until pale and tripled in volume. This is what makes the cake light and flexible enough to roll without cracking, because there's no butter or oil in the sponge to keep it soft.
✓Once the flour goes in, mix only until combined. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake rubbery — a rubbery cake cracks the moment you try to roll it.
✓Don't let the baked cake sit too long before rolling it — roll it while it's still warm. A warm cake bends; a cooled cake breaks. This one habit is the difference between a perfect spiral and a cracked one.
✓Keeping the parchment paper on the cake while you roll makes the whole process much easier — it guides the roll and stops the warm cake from sticking to itself.
✓Spraying the parchment paper beforehand helps it peel away easily after cooling, so you don't tear the surface of the cake when you unroll it for filling.
✓You do not need powdered sugar on the kitchen towel with this method — the parchment does the job, and skipping the sugar keeps the outside of the roll clean.
✓Canned pumpkin is the easiest and fastest option; fresh pumpkin takes a little more time but gives the roll a beautiful homemade flavor.
✓If using fresh pumpkin, make sure it is well drained before measuring — too much water makes the batter too wet, and a wet batter bakes into a gummy layer instead of a fluffy sponge.
✓Both the cake and filling can be made less sweet by reducing the sugar. I always do — it lets the pumpkin and spices come through instead of being buried under sweetness.
✓Trim the ends before serving if you want a clean, bakery-style presentation. The end pieces never look as neat as the center — and they're the cook's reward.

Storage

•Keep the pumpkin roll refrigerated.
•It's especially good after it has chilled for several hours, and the filling has had time to firm up.

Common Questions

Does a pumpkin roll need to be refrigerated?

Yes, always. The filling is made with cream cheese and butter, so the roll should live in the fridge, covered or wrapped. It actually tastes better after several hours of chilling, once the filling firms up and slicing is much neater.

Can you freeze a pumpkin roll?

You can — wrap it well in plastic wrap and then foil. Honestly, I never freeze it myself, so I can't promise how the cream cheese filling will taste after thawing. My advice: keep it in the fridge and enjoy it within 2–3 days. It never lasts longer than that in our house anyway.

How do you roll a pumpkin roll without cracking?

Roll it while it's still warm — that's the whole secret. Keep the cake on its parchment paper, lay it on a clean kitchen towel, and roll it up right away with the paper and towel together. Let it cool completely while rolled, then unroll, fill, and roll again. No powdered sugar on the towel needed with this method.