When you're tired of pumpkin pie, impress your guests at Thanksgiving this year, with one of these pretty pumpkin cake rolls. The cake only takes 15 minutes to bake in the oven and you can make the cream cheese frosting while waiting for the cake to cook. I don't have to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner this year. I hope one year though because I think it would be fun. My only job is to bring the Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

Don't be intimidated to make a pumpkin cake roll. When I tried making it my first time I had a couple of mishaps and it was very hard to roll up the cake nicely. They are beautiful when you slice them open and once you make them you will feel like a cooking God after you make one. Trust me.
It took me 3 times to get a pumpkin cake roll right. I don't remember the first time very well. Just remembered that it didn't turn out. 2nd time, it worked, but my pumpkin roll looked like the Bermuda triangle and it cracked on the top. The third time was a lot better because was sick of my cake rolls messing up and I did my research beforehand to see what other people were doing to get theirs right.
How to Make a Pumpkin Cake Roll
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Set pan and towel aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick. Add in pumpkin and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

Tips for Pumpkin Cake Roll
Roll the cake up when it was warm. This is why the parchment paper is a must, under making these types of cakes. You can just take it out of the pan right away.
Also, make sure to discard the parchment paper when you put the cake on the towel to roll up. The towel helps you to roll the pumpkin cake really tight to get those pretty swirls. My swirls don't look as pretty, but I'm satisfied and glad that the cake didn't end up cracking. 3 times is always a charm. 🙂
Dust the top of the cake with a little powdered sugar. You don't need much only about 2 tablespoons.
Can I use a sugar substitute to make this lower in points? Yes, you can. Just make sure to look up the conversions for the brand of sugar you are using. I'd add the conversions here, but I am not familiar with them all.

Other Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
Weight Watchers Pumpkin French Toast
5 Easy Recipes with Cake Mix and Canned Pumpkin
PrintPumpkin Cake Roll
- Prep Time: 25m
- Cook Time: 15min
- Total Time: 40min
- Yield: 14 1x
Description
When you're tired of pumpkin pie, impress your guests at Thanksgiving this year, with one of these pretty pumpkin cake rolls. The cake only takes 15 minutes to bake in the oven and you can make the cream cheese frosting while waiting for the cake to cook.
Ingredients
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup pure pumpkin puree (Libby’s)
For the Filling
1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Set pan and towel aside. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick. Add in pumpkin and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. 3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack. 4. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
Notes
WW Freestyle Points: 9
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 227
- Sugar: 22g
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
Keywords: Pumpkin Cake Roll
Jenna says
No, it needs to be the plain canned pumpkin.
Nazola Bayless says
I pick up wrong pumpkin can. Bought pie filling instead. Would it be okay to make a pumpkin roll with it?
Jeri says
I made this at Thanksgiving and it was such a hit that I made it again at Christmas! I have given out your recipe to several family members! It's wonderful! I will definitely will be making this again! 🙂