Bring on all the pumpkin Fall and Holiday flavors! Pumpkin Roll has become a staple in our house over the last few years and it’s easy to see why – it pretty much rocks in all ways.

Let us count the ways that this Pumpkin Roll recipe is so freaking good:

It has a sweet, but not too sweet, cream cheese filling
LOADS of powdered sugar
Subtle Fall spices rolled into a moist cake
Stores really well for make-ahead holiday goodies (this is the kicker – you can make it now, freeze it, and pull it out for your holiday guests, as if you made it that very day!)

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Origin of this Recipe

So, obviously there are lots of Pumpkin Roll recipes out there, especially this time of year. This one is extra special to me because it came to me via my good friend’s mom. She gave me a copy of it printed on her recipe cards scrawled in her own handwriting and with just enough instructions to get the gist of it. Sadly, she passed away a little over a year ago. I feel very fortunate to have one of her recipes, to continue baking every year. And that makes this Pumpkin Roll taste that much sweeter.

Rolling it up

Most of this recipe is pretty easy and straightforward. Mix all the ingredients for the cake, pour it onto a baking sheet, bake, mix together ingredients for the filling. The next part can be a bit tricky if you’ve never done it before. It calls for rolling up the cake in a towel. The purpose of this is clear – this process makes the cake into its iconic spiral rolled shape. And, doing this while the cake is hot prevents cracking of the cake and allows the cake to cool into the spiral shape.

The how-to part is actually pretty simple, too. While your pumpkin cake is baking, clear a big space on your countertop, lay down a clean kitchen towel (tea towels work best here, nothing too fluffy or cottony) and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Once your cake is out of the oven, immediately place the towel, sugar side down, onto the freshly baked cake then place the bottom of another sheet pan on top of the towel. With oven mitts on so you don’t burn your hands, hold the two baking sheets firmly together as you flip the bottom pan to the top. Remove the original baking sheet and peel away the parchment paper. Now you’re ready to roll up the cake. Starting with the narrow end, roll the cake and the towel together being sure to make the roll tight. Place in the fridge until cool. Easy as pie!

More Fall Recipes

For more Fall-inspired recipes, click on the links below:

Easy Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce Cake

Honey Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting & Figs