This Classic Pumpkin Roll recipe with cream cheese is easier to make than it looks. It reminds me that it's almost Thanksgiving time and the countdown to Christmas has begun! It's like a Swiss Roll or Roulade made with pureed pumpkin and spices, generously slathered with vanilla bean cream cheese.
Canned Pumpkin or Fresh?
It is really hard to find canned pureed pumpkin here in Australia. Aussies usually eat pumpkin as a savory dish like Pumpkin Soup, and don't like pumpkin as a dessert. So canned pumpkins are out of the question. Whenever we need to make recipes that use canned pumpkin, we need to make it from scratch.
It's super easy to peel and cube about 1 lb of pumpkin and boil in water for about 15 minutes until soft. Just drain and mash with a fork, it's that easy! There is no need to panic over a lack of pumpkin ingredients when you are outside of the States. Check out this recipe for homemade pumpkin puree recipe which has instructions for roasting pumpkins too. While canned pumpkin is easier, I think it's better to use fresh pumpkin, especially during pumpkin season!
How to make Pumpkin Roll
To start, you need a jelly roll pan that's 10x15 inches and prepare a damp kitchen towel. Grease the jelly roll pan with butter and dust with flour, shaking off any excess flour. You can also use parchment paper to line the baking pan. Prepare the pumpkin batter with pumpkin pie spice and pour into the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 375°F/190°C until it's golden brown and springy.
There are a few different ways to roll up the thin pumpkin cake. The most common is to use a damp kitchen towel that's dusted with icing sugar (powdered sugar). Just place the warm baked cake onto the kitchen towel, starting on one end, roll it up tightly. All the pumpkin cake to cool on a baking rack (about 30 minutes) while still wrapped in the towel which will help it keep its shape. Some people use baking paper instead of a tea towel, but I have always used to traditional towel method.
Using a mixer, prepare the cream cheese frosting. When the cake has cooled, carefully unroll the cake and spread the vanilla bean cream cheese evenly across the cake. Make sure there is cream cheese in the starting curl, as this is the middle of your Pumpkin Roll. Roll up the pumpkin roll again in the kitchen towel, and wrap in plastic cling wrap. Place in the fridge to completely chill before slicing.
Pumpkin Roll Cream Cheese Frosting
I love using real vanilla bean when I can, it's the secret to an amazing tasting frosting! I buy a vanilla bean paste in a small jar, where 1 teaspoon equals 1 vanilla pod, which is perfect for adding a deeper vanilla flavor to your dessert. You can use regular vanilla extract if you can't find the fancier vanilla bean paste. Using a mixer, beat together a block of cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, a teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of icing sugar. That's it, like I said, the secret is the vanilla bean paste!
Pumpkin Roll Recipe Tips
- Try making Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice for this recipe
- Make in advance and keep in refrigerator until you're ready to serve
- Pumpkin Roll freezes well. Just freeze it wrapped up in plastic cling wrap, before you cut into slices. Defrost in fridge the day before, slice before serving
- If you don't have vanilla bean paste, use a vanilla bean pod. Cut in half and scrape out the vanilla seeds
- No Pumpkin Pie Spice? Just use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon allspice
Nothing screams holiday time for me better than Pumpkin Pie and the spices used to create the smell of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Making this Pumpkin Roll recipe is easy if you follow these instructions step by step, you can't go wrong. You'll want to make this recipe twice. One for you to eat and enjoy and the other to serve for your holiday guests. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Damp Tea Towel dusted with ⅓ cup icing sugar
Filling ingredients
- 8 oz /250g block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C and grease and flour a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and the pumpkin pie spice. Add in the pumpkin puree, eggs and lemon juice. Pour it into the greased pan, ensuring that the thickness is even across the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and springs back when touched lightly.
- While cake is baking, prepare a clean damp tea towel by sprinkling ⅓ cup of icing sugar across the towel. When the cake is baked, turn the cake upside down on the damp prepared tea towel. Carefully roll up the towel with the cake inside into a roll and place on a baking rack to cool (about 30 minutes or until completely cool).
- Using a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste.
- When the cake has cooled, carefully unroll the cake and spread the vanilla bean cream cheese evenly across the cake. Make sure there is cream cheese in the starting curl, as this is the middle of our cake.
- Immediately re-roll the cake, without the towel and cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
- When you are ready to serve, Dust with icing sugar and slice to your desired thickness. Enjoy!
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