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Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll

Pumpkin spice cake roll with a tender, springy sponge and a cinnamon-vanilla cream cheese swirl. Baked in a jelly roll pan, rolled while warm, then chilled for clean slices and a spiral reveal.
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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: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For 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
For 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 Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cake
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan, then line with parchment. Make sure the parchment covers the base so the cake releases cleanly.
  2. Beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick, then mix in pumpkin puree and vanilla. The batter should look lighter and more opaque.
  3. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, then bake 11–13 minutes at 375°F. The cake is ready when it springs back when lightly touched.
Roll and cool
  1. Immediately invert the cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel, then peel off the parchment. You should see the cake release without tearing.
  2. Roll the cake in the towel from the short end and cool completely. Keep it snug so the spiral sets without cracking.
Fill and chill
  1. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then beat in powdered sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stop when the filling looks thick and creamy with no lumps.
  2. Unroll the cooled cake and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the surface. Leave a small border at the edges for easier rolling.
  3. Re-roll without the towel, wrap in parchment, then chill for 1 hour. The roll should feel firm to the touch after chilling.
Serve
  1. Dust the top with extra powdered sugar and slice to serve. Use a sharp knife and wipe between cuts for clean spirals.

Notes

Pro tip: roll the cake immediately after inverting and keep it in the towel while cooling—this prevents cracking. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze the assembled, chilled roll (wrapped well) for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese instead of full-fat while keeping the same butter amount for structure.