Pumpkin roll with orange cream cheese

My favorite pumpkin roll is rich, perfectly spiced and moist. It may not look like it – but it’s also very simple to make from scratch! It’s filled with orange-flavored cream cheese filling, that is fluffy, creamy and not overly sweet. You can use a homemade pumpkin pie spice to make it.

My favorite pumpkin roll recipe:

The basic recipe for this very popular pumpkin roll cake is almost the same on many websites. I modified it just a little to our taste – I added orange zest and pumpkin pie spice to the dough. I also swapped half of the granulated sugar for light brown sugar, which makes the cake more moist, and also because I like its caramel taste.

As for the cream cheese frosting, I significantly reduced the amount of butter and sugar in it. I’ve made this cake from one recipe that called for 1 ¾ cups sugar in the frosting and we just couldn‘t eat it, it was too sweet. I don‘t know if that’s just our European palates.. ;). I also added orange zest, lemon juice, and a little salt, which made the frosting much lighter and more delicious. It balances perfectly the sweet pumpkin cake.

For this cake, you can use a homemade pumpkin pie spice or gingerbread spice mix.

Pumpkin puree for pumpkin roll:

• You can use canned pumpkin puree or made your homemade pumpkin puree, which is super easy to make.

• How to make pumpkin puree: Cut the pumpkin into equal-sized pieces (peeling is not necessary). Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper, bake at 200°C / 400 °F / Gas Mark 6 for about 30-60 minutes, until soft (the baking time will depend on the size of the chunks and pumpkin/squash type). Scoop out the flesh from the skin with a spoon, puree until smooth. Unused puree can be frozen. If you’re using homemade pumpkin puree make sure it’s not too watery. If it is – you can cook it on the stove until thickened or strain it through a cheesecloth.

• What kind of pumpkin/squash to use for pumpkin puree: It‘s best to use a hokkaido pumpkin here, it‘s less moist and sweet than, for example, a butternut squash, but you can use any type of squash / pumpkin with this recipe or canned pumpkin puree.

Do you have any pumpkin puree left? Try these recipes:

• pumpkin pie apple ring pancakes
• pumpkin cranberry muffins
• pumpkin ginger and orange soup
• pumpkin, ginger and brown butter soup with caramelized chestnuts

What kind of pan is best:

It’s best to use a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan / 25 x 38 cm baking pan. You can use any pan, that has similar dimensions. Best would be a rectangular pan, in opposite to a square pan. The surface area needs to be similar, I used 30 x 33 cm / 12 x 13-inch baking pan, because I didn‘t found a jelly roll pan in any shop near me.

How to make pumpkin roll – step by step:

• STEP 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until combined (flour, baking powder, and soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt).
• STEP 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest).
• STEP 3: Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients, fold in, until just combined (be careful not to overmix the batter).

• STEP 4: Prepare a 10 x 15 inch (jelly roll pan) / 25 x 38 cm baking pan. Grease the pan with butter (parchment paper will stick better to the pan), line with parchment paper. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and leave an inch overhang on each of the short ends of the pan (transferring the cake will be much easier). Generously grease the parchment paper with butter (this will make peeling off the paper super easy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread the batter evenly and give the pan a shake.
• Bake the cake in an oven, preheated to 180 °C / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4, for about 15-18 minutes. The surface of the baked cake shouldn‘t be sticky and it should spring back when you poke it with a finger.
• STEP 5: Prepare a clean kitchen cloth, sprinkle it with a thick layer of powdered sugar. Invert the cake onto the towel, peel off the parchment paper.
• STEP 6: Roll the cake up with the towel (each surface of the cloth that touches the cake should be well sprinkled with powdered sugar).

• STEP 7: Leave the cake to cool completely while rolled up (for a minimum of half an hour, better for about an hour, thanks to that the roll won‘t crack or tear).
• STEP 8: Prepare the cream cheese filling – whip all the ingredients until combined and fluffy. Once the cake is cooled, unroll but not flatten out the roll. Spread the cream cheese filling in an even layer over the cake, leaving about a 1 inch / 2.5 cm border.
• STEP 9: Roll up the cake without the towel, wrap in plastic foil, place in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour (it will be easier to cut nice slices). Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into slices, serve and enjoy!

How to measure flour:

How to measure flour: if you use a kitchen scale to measure out all the ingredients, it all goes easy breezy! But if you’re using measuring cups, remember that 1 cup of flour can weigh 120-150g, depending on how you’re filling your cup. Don’t scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, which can compact it! 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. To correctly measure the flour, you need to:

1. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon.
2. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup.
3. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.

Storing and freezing tips:

How to store pumpkin roll: Keep the cake wrapped in plastic foil in the fridge for up to 3 days. It tastes even better the next day, but it’s less fluffy and more moist (the cake absorbs the cream cheese filling).

How to freeze pumpkin roll: Wrap the cake in plastic foil (either the whole cake or slices), freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or on the counter, serve at room temperature.

FAQ:

Pumpkin spice roll variations:

– Here you’ll find 12 interesting Pumpkin roll variations from Southern Living Magazine

– Other filling flavors, that would go well with this recipe:

• brown sugar cream cheese frosting
• cinnamon brown sugar cream cheese frosting
• if you want more traditional-tasting cream cheese filling recipe (no orange, more butter, and sugar) check out my carrot layer cake with cream cheese frosting.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!