How to make a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. Beginners guide to making pumpkin rolls from scratch. Along with a few tips on how to roll it without cracking.

A good friend from back home made the best pumpkin rolls! She would batch make 30-40 during the holidays and I was one lucky girl to get a roll or two.
We’ve been away for 12 years now so I asked my dear friend for her amazing recipe, because it’s just not the holidays without a pumpkin roll to share. (If you share! It’s that good.)
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I may be a pumpkin roll beginner but it’s been so fun making them and giving them to friends and neighbors. So if I can make a delicious pumpkin roll without cracking, so can you!
Pumpkin Roll Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling
Roll Ingredients
- 2/3 cup %100 pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch salt
- powdered sugar (sprinkled on top for serving)
Filling Ingredients
- 1 8oz package cream cheese
- 4 tsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- parchment paper
- clean dish towels
Preheat oven to 375
Using a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid, beat pumpkin, sugar and eggs for 2-3 minuets.
In a small bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture. Beat to a creamy mix.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and add your filling. Taking care to smooth it out evenly.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Prepare your Cream Cheese Filling
While the cake is baking, prepare your cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl add cream cheese, soften butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix to a smooth creamy texture. Set aside.
How to Roll a Pumpkin Roll
Once cake is done, cut in half width ways and place a clean kitchen towel on each side right up to the edge.
Peel the parchment paper back slightly and begin to roll the cake while it’s warm. Roll completely.




Roll completely and allow to cool in the dish towels for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes unroll your pumpkin roll and add your cream cheese mixture.
Fill and re-roll.


At this point you can either cut off both ends to make for a prettier cream cheese swirl, or leave it as is.
Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic cling wrap and place in fridge to fully cool.
*Optional- Before serving sprinkle with powered sugar.

It really was that easy! And just like that my husband came home from work and said he needed to bring something to the holiday party the next day…. Goodbye delicious pumpkin roll. Thank goodness I made two! And it was every bit as delicious as I remembered.
Why Does My Pumpkin Roll Crack
After several perfect rolls I finally experienced a crack as I was rolling it! I had gotten a little sure of myself and decided to do 1/2 tsp. baking power and 1/2 tsp. baking soda, instead of just using 1 tsp baking soda. It caused my cake to rise a bit too much making it thicker and more difficult to roll.
I also decided to use wax paper. I found it much harder to peal off and have only been using parchment paper since.
Remember to roll your cake once it comes out of the oven and not after it is cooled.
Pumpkin Roll Recipe | Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
- parchment paper
- 2 clean dish towels
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup %100 pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- powdered sugar (sprinkle on top)
For Filling
- 1 8oz package cream cheese
- 4 tsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Using a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid, beat pumpkin, sugar and eggs for 2-3 minuets.
- In a small bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture. Beat to a creamy mix.
- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and add your filling. Taking care to smooth it out evenly.
- Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, prepare your cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl add cream cheese, soften butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix to a smooth creamy texture. Set aside.
- Once cake is done, cut in half width ways and place a clean kitchen towel on each side right up to the edge.
- Peel the parchment paper back slightly and begin to roll the cake while it's warm. Roll completely.
- Roll completely and allow to cool in the dish towels for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes unroll your pumpkin roll and add your cream cheese mixture.
- Fill and re-roll.
- Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic cling wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes to fully cool.
- *Optional- Before serving sprinkle with powered sugar.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will very based on different bands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
Nutrition
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