Eight days before Thanksgiving feels like an awfully weird time to share a cake recipe, but I’m a realist- I know some of you are simply not pie people. As an alternative, today I’m sharing this brown sugar pumpkin roll which has all of the cozy flavors and pizazz of a holiday dessert with absolutely zero pie dough. If you’ve been looking for a yummy alternative to pumpkin pie, here it is!
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Roll
I absolutely did not grow up in a family of bakers. My Mimi is extremely handy with sugar cookies and holiday pies, but beyond that, we were more of a break-and-bake cookie/ Oreos-for-dessert kind of family. Interestingly, one of the very few homemade desserts I remember from childhood is this pumpkin roll. I can only recall enjoying it a handful of times, but those memories sparkle in my mind’s eye. There was always a lot of fanfare surrounding the preparation of the pumpkin roll, and to this day I can envision all of the women in my family huddled around the rolled-up tea towel containing the roulade, waiting to see how it would all turn out.
Admittedly, rolled desserts like this are not simple to make. They require patient hands, and sometimes, even when handled with the greatest of care, they just don’t behave the way you want them to. Cracks happen. But if you can pursue this kind of recipe with a whole lot of grace and a handful of fun, you are bound to reap the rewards. This brown sugar pumpkin roll is tender, perfectly spiced, and filled with the yummiest brown sugar cream cheese filling I have ever had. If I’ve convinced you to give this a try, let me tell you how to make it!
How to Make a Pumpkin Roll
We start with the batter. Eggs and sugar whip together before adding 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree. Next, we add the dry ingredients which includes flour, salt, and a whole lot of spice. Finally, we spread the batter into a jelly roll pan prepared with baking spray and a sheet of parchment paper fitted into the bottom of the pan.
I get a lot of questions about jelly roll pans. A proper jelly roll pan has a 1″ rim and is slightly larger than a quarter sheet pan. You can check out my favorite pan here. Also, I would be remiss to not whole-heartedly recommend using a floured baking spray like this one. This spray has saved a million of my cakes, because it is truly nonstick.
The cake bakes in a 350 degrees oven for about 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Avoid overbaking the cake, as this will make it dry and more difficult to roll without cracks.
Filling a Pumpkin Roll
Once removed from the oven, allow the cake to cool briefly in the pan, about 2 minutes. In the meantime, prepare your tea towel that you will roll the cake into. First, I like to dust the towel lightly with powdered sugar to help prevent sticking. Invert the cake onto the prepared tea towel, and, beginning with one of the short ends, begin to tightly roll the cake into an even spiral. Continue rolling until the cake is fully wrapped, and set it aside while you prepare your filling.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat to combine the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, and powdered sugar, stirring until combined. At this time, if your cake has been sitting wrapped about 10 minutes, go ahead and carefully unroll it. I like to use slightly wet fingers to nudge the cake off the tea towel. Don’t fret if a few cracks pop up- just keep going with care. Once unrolled, use an offset spatula to spread the filling into the cake, and then wrap the whole thing back up again! Allow it to cool completely prior to enjoying.
Serving a Pumpkin Roll
I like to cut this pumpkin roll while it is slightly chilled as this makes for easier trimming. You can remove the tea towel, place the roll on a serving plate, and dust the whole thing with a little extra powdered sugar. Slices can be served as is or with another dusting of sugar. And that’s it! You’ve made a pumpkin roll! Give this recipe a try this holiday season and let me know what you think. Happy baking!
If you like this brown sugar pumpkin roll you should try:
Pumpkin Nutella Bread
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Layer Cake
Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Burnt Sugar Frosting
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Roll
This brown sugar pumpkin roll is a classic holiday treat filled with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 60
- Yield: 8 Servings
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. Lightly grease a jelly roll (15”x10”x1”) pan with baking spray with flour and line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit the pan.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy, about one and a half minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Toss in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, stirring on low just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Place the pan in the oven to bake for about 14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool briefly, about two minutes. Take a clean tea towel and dust it lightly with powdered sugar. Then, carefully invert the pan onto the tea towel. Adjust the cake so that one of the short edges of the cake are lined up with the edge of the tea towel. Then, carefully begin to roll the cake and tea towel in a tight spiral. Once the cake is completely wrapped, set aside to cool only while you prepare the frosting. Note: it’s important to not let your roll cool completely or too much- this will cause the cake to crack when unrolling.
- To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, and powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Carefully and slowly, unroll the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese buttercream onto the cake. Then, roll the cake back up. Wrap it in the tea towel once more and place in the fridge to cool completely.
- When ready to serve, transfer the cake to a serving dish and dust with powdered sugar. Slices are best cut while still slightly chilled.
