Grandma’s Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Name: Grandma’s Pumpkin Roll
Prep time: 135 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup pumpkin puree; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 eggs; 2 Tablespoons softened butter; 8 ounces softened cream cheese; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 cup chopped pecans ((optional))

Published: Aug 28, 2017 Modified: Jun 17, 2020

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Grandma’s Pumpkin Roll recipe is one of my family’s favorites. Sweetened cream cheese filling rolled in a light, and moist pumpkin cake makes this dessert unforgettable.

Before my family and I moved to Florida, we lived near my grandmother. Each year, she made several pumpkin rolls and sent them home with various family members to enjoy over the holidays.

Everyone in the family absolutely loved them. John and I always ended up with at least two at our house. He usually ate them because I wasn’t a big fan of pumpkin.

One year, he talked me into trying a bite. Grandma’s pumpkin roll recipe was so good that I wanted to be able to continue to make them long after she was gone.

The next time we visited Grandma, I asked for her pumpkin roll recipe. My grandmother was thrilled to share her recipe with me, and I’m so glad she did.

Four slices of pumpkin roll on a white plate with two forks.

Over the years, I’ve practiced making her pumpkin roll recipe but couldn’t get the technique quite right. The pumpkin cake usually ended up in a big heap of crumbs and was a huge mess.

If you’ve read my earlier posts, this year is the year I’m learning to make pumpkin related recipes like Pumpkin Spice Muffins, and Pumpkin Pie Spice.

How could I get by without baking Grandma’s pumpkin roll recipe? This time, I followed the directions better and used the right equipment.

Plus, a little experience never hurts. The result was a moist, cream-filled, pumpkin roll almost as good as Grandma’s.

Pumpkin roll on a long rectangular dish.

How to Make a Pumpkin Roll:

Prep and Preheat:

Grease a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with butter. Cover the pan with waxed or parchment paper.

Make sure the paper stays in place by pressing down, so it sticks to the butter. Apply more butter or cooking spray to the top of the paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Make the Cake Batter:

Add the sugar, pumpkin, baking soda, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment, and mix on low until combined.

Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet and use a silicone spatula to smooth it into one even layer.

Top down of photo of sliced pumpkin roll on a white plate.

Bake the Pumpkin Roll:

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The cake will rise slightly and should spring back when touched. Do not overbake or the edges will harden.

Cool the Roll:

While the cake is baking, take a large kitchen towel and liberally sprinkle it with powdered sugar. After the cake bakes, remove it from the pan leaving the waxed or parchment paper attached.

Flip the cake upside down on the kitchen towel (paper side up, cake side down touching the towel and powdered sugar). Carefully peel off the paper taking care not to tear the cake, then discard the paper.

Roll the cake up with the kitchen towel inside. Allow the cake to cool completely while still rolled in the towel. In the meantime, make the cream cheese filling.

Grandma's Pumpkin Roll is one of my family’s favorite fall recipes. Sweetened cream cheese filling rolled in a light, and moist pumpkin cake makes this dessert unforgettable.

Make the Filling:

Add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla the bowl of a stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to combine.

If you want to add chopped pecans, remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold them in. Store the filling in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill the cake.

Fill the Cake:

After the cake cools, carefully unroll it, but don’t force it to lay flat. Use a spatula to apply the cream cheese filling to the interior of the cake.

Smooth it out so it’s one even layer and covers to all the edges.

Roll the cake back up with the filling on the inside. Cover the pumpkin roll with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set.

Once it has set, sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and slice it to serve. It can be stored in your fridge for up to three days.

Want More Pumpkin Recipes?

Here are some of our favorites!

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5 from 8 votes