This pumpkin cake roll features an incredibly moist and tender crumb packed with warm pumpkin spice flavors, all wrapped up around a creamy mascarpone filling. It makes for a fantastic dessert that’s sure to impress during the holiday season.
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This dessert is my new favorite pumpkin dessert this fall. Yes, even before my Classic Pumpkin Pie and my Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese (a must try!) that I love so much and keep making year after year. In this dessert, the combination of the warm pumpkin spice in the cake and the creamy mascarpone filling brings the perfect balance of textures and flavors. The result is light and airy, not too sweet, and deliciously flavored. And yes, a pumpkin cake roll does make a beautiful and impressive dessert!
I feel you though: making cake roll seems a little intimidating. Now think about it that way: it’s a simple pumpkin sheet cake topped with a creamy filling and rolled up into a spiral to make it look fancy. Also, I promise to explain every step of the recipe the best way possible so you can feel confident baking it yourself.
Why make this pumpkin cake roll recipe:
- Texture. The perfect contrast between a perfectly moist sponge cake and a creamy mascarpone filling.
- Flavor. Sweet and warm pumpkin spices, subtly balanced by the tangy mascarpone cheese. The result is sweet but not overly sweet, just as we like it.
- Occasion. The perfect coffee cake for dessert or a cozy afternoon tea time with friends.
- Technique. The cake roll technique is often intimidating. This is why I’ll guide you throughout the recipe and include some troubleshooting so you can bake it with confidence.
Pumpkin cake roll key ingredients
While each ingredient play a key-role in the recipe, I listed below the ones that make this pumpkin cake roll unique.
- Pumpkin puree. I recommend canned pumpkin puree over homemade pumpkin puree if possible. The reason? Canned pumpkin puree is more dense and less watery than homemade, which makes it best suitable for baking recipes.
- Pumpkin spice. This is what brings all the warm spices to this pumpkin cake roll. The best combo if you ask me! It’s all about warm cinnamon combined together with ginger, nutmeg and cloves (or allspice). You can either go for ready-to-use pumpkin spice mix or make your own (see recipe notes below for the recipe).
- Mascarpone cheese. While most pumpkin cake rolls use cream cheese, I prefer mascarpone that is slightly milder and creamier too.
How to make pumpkin cake roll
Head over to the recipe card further below for the full printable recipe. But before you get started, let’s walk through it together so you understand each step.
- First, prepare and bake the pumpkin cake. To make the cake, all you need is mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine together. Spread out in a lined 10×15-inch jelly roll pan (dimensions are important!), making sure the cake batter is spread evenly up to each corner. Bake, keeping an eye on your oven, until the cake springs back when you poke it with your finger.
- Then, prepare the tea towel and roll up the cake. This is a very important step in a pumpkin cake roll recipe. While the cake is baking, lay a thin tea towel on the countertop and dust with confectioners’ sugar. When the cake is ready, carefully invert it onto the tea towel, dust with confectioners’ sugar and roll it up together with the tea towel. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- As the cake cools, make the creamy mascarpone filling.
- It’s now time to carefully unroll the cake, fill with mascarpone and gently roll it back up tightly. Transfer to a baking dish, loosely cover with plastic wrap and pop it in the refrigerator for 1 hour minimum. Decorate if desired, slice and serve!
Pro tips & Troubleshooting
- Use the right size pan. It is very important to use the correct pan size to make this cake roll, as it will help achieve the perfect thickness to roll up the cake. Choose a 10 x 15-inch (25,5 x 38 cm) jelly roll pan; this is the only size that works for this recipe.
- Use parchment paper + GREASE with melted butter or cooking spray. I learned from my mistakes while doing various recipe tests in my kitchen and realized how important it is for a roll cake to use a non-stick surface. I first brush the bottom of the pan with melted butter to help the parchment paper stay in place. Then, brush the surface of the parchment paper with melted butter too so it becomes easy to peel it off when inverting the cake after baking.
- Use canned pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin) rather than homemade pumpkin pie for best results. The homemade version is more watery, which doesn’t work great in the recipe. Also, remember to choose 100% pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). Quick tip: because you won’t need the whole can for this recipe, check my other pumpkin recipes further below to use up all of your pumpkin puree leftovers!
- Even out the cake batter. Not only is important to use the right pan size but it also matters to spread the cake batter all over and even out the cake batter (using an offset spatula for instance) up to each corner.
- The confectioners’ sugar rule. First, you’ll want to dust a tea towel with confectioners’ sugar and invert the cake almost right after baking (wait for about 2 mins in the pan after baking). Peel off the parchment paper and dust the surface of the cake with confectioners’ sugar. The use of confectioners’ prevents the cake batter from sticking to the tea towel or to itself when you roll it up.
- Shape the cake while still warm. Roll up the cake in tea towel while still warm and flexible to prevent cracks.
- Wait until it cools down before filling with the mascarpone. Once rolled up (empty!), allow the cake to rest at room temperature or almost, for about 15-20 minutes. Do not wait for too long or it will create cracks when unrolling the cake. Unroll carefully and spread the filling gently, using more in the center. Then carefully roll up tightly (this time without the tea towel), seam underneath. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate before serving to allow the cake to keep its shape.
- Speed up the chilling time. Once the cake is ready, store in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then pop it up in the freezer for 30 minutes to speed up the process. Don’t leave it in the freezer longer or the mascarpone will freeze.
Why did my pumpkin roll crack and how to fix it?
If, when rolling up the cake roll with the filling inside, some small cracks or tears still happen here and there, it’s probably because you the cake was not rolled right away after baking and didn’t have enough time to rest before adding the filling. Be reassured though, small occasional cracks are usually easy to disguise with a dusting of powdered sugar. Just make sure you process very slowly when rolling up the cake with the filling inside and fix the tear areas when needed. Most of the time no one except you will actually notice the cracks when the pumpkin cake roll is sliced. You’ve got this!
Make-ahead, storing and freezing instructions
Make-ahead tips. This pumpkin cake roll recipe is a perfect make-ahead recipe, especially if you’re planning a large gathering party for Thanksgiving or Christmas and have many other dishes to prepare. You can prepare it from start to finish up to 2 days ahead and store in the refrigerator, un-decorated, covered with plastic wrap. You can pipe some whip cream on top, and sprinkle with pecans on D-day.
Storing and freezing. You can easily store this pumpkin cake roll and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, covered with plastic wrap. It also freezes very well for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Quick freezing tip. I recommend to slice the cake first and freeze slices together in a ziplock bag. This way, the cake will thaw quicker, plus you can enjoy single serves anytime you want.
More pumpkin desserts you’ll like
If using pumpkin puree from a can (which I recommend!) you’ll be left with some pumpkin puree. Here are a few recipe ideas to use pumpkin puree leftovers:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Candied Pecans
- Fluffy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie (inspired by Martha Stewart)
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Cake Roll
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Chilling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes and Pies
This pumpkin cake roll features an incredibly moist and tender crumb packed with warm pumpkin spice flavors, all wrapped up around a creamy mascarpone filling. It makes for a fantastic dessert that’s sure to impress during the holiday season.
Email me this recipe
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Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake:
- ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (150g) pumpkin purée
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted melted butter or cooking spray, for brushing the pan
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
For the mascarpone filling:
- 4 ounces (60g) mascarpone cheese, cold
- 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream, cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (65 grams) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease the bottom of a 10 x 15-inch (25,5 x 38 cm) jelly roll pan with melted butter (or cooking spray). Line with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges. Grease the surface with remaining melted butter, using a pastry brush or cooking spray. It’s important to have a perfectly nonstick surface for this cake roll. Set aside.
- For the pumpkin cake. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick and fluffy. Add the vanilla, pumpkin purée and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and gently fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, making sure it reaches all four corners, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back lightly when touched.
- While the cake is baking, lay out a tea towel and generously dust it with confectioners’ sugar. Let the cake rest for just 2 minutes in the pan, and gently run a knife around the outside edge of the pan. Invert the cake onto the tea towel, peel off the parchment paper, and let it rest for 5 minutes, then gently dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.
- Starting from the shorter side, slowly roll the cake up together with the tea towel, being careful not to let the cake crack. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature while rolled up in the towel for about 20 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t get too cool or it may crack when you unroll it.
- For the mascarpone filling. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mascarpone in a small bowl until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually add 6 Tablespoons of the whipping cream to the mascarpone until it starts to get thinner and more liquid. Add the remaining whipping cream and beat at medium speed until it reaches soft peaks. Add the confectioners’ sugar, mix on medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Then, increase the speed to high and whip until the filling is stiff and spreadable.
- For assembling. Carefully unroll the cake on a flat surface. Fill the cake with more filling in what will be the center of the roll. Spread the rest of the filling evenly over the cake, leaving about ½-inch (1 cm) border around the cake to prevent the filling from being squeezed out when the cake is rolled up. Roll up the cake carefully, and wrap it tightly, leaving the seam underneath. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- For serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and decorate with whipped cream and pecans if desired. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
* To make your own pumpkin pie spice mix, combine together 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (or allspice).
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Pumpkin Cake Roll, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
