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In our town a pumpkin roll was a test. Anybody could bake a pumpkin bread. The roll, a thin sheet of spiced cake wound around a cream cheese filling so every slice shows a spiral, separated the women who could from the women who bought one at the bake sale and set it out on their own plate. My mother could. She made two on the first cold Sunday of every fall, one for the house and one for whoever on our road was sick that week, and neither ever cracked.
Her secret was not in the batter, which is an ordinary sponge of three eggs, sugar, a little pumpkin and spice. The secret is the first minute after the pan leaves the oven. A dish towel dusted heavily with powdered sugar is already waiting on the counter. The cake is flipped onto it hot, the paper is peeled away, and the cake is rolled up with the towel inside it right then, while it is still steaming. It cools in that shape. A cake that learns its shape hot never cracks cold. What cracks a pumpkin roll is waiting, even a minute, because a sponge that cools flat sets flat.
Why this pumpkin roll works
- Rolled hot, cooled rolled. The sponge is still soft and full of steam when it bends around the towel, so it sets in a curve instead of flat. This is the whole recipe.
- Powdered sugar on the towel. It keeps the hot cake from sticking to the cloth and leaves a faint sweet skin on the roll.
- A thin cake in a big pan. A 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan spreads the batter a quarter inch deep. Thin cake bends. Thick cake breaks.
- Beaten eggs for the lift. Three eggs whipped thick with the sugar give a soft, flexible sponge.
Ingredients
Makes one 10-inch roll, about 10 thick slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the cake
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (95g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (160g), plain pumpkin, not pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (30g), for the towel
For the cream cheese filling
- One 8 ounce block full-fat cream cheese (226g), softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85g), softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- More powdered sugar, for dusting the finished roll
Use a thin, smooth cotton dish towel, the flour-sack kind, not a fluffy terry towel that sheds lint. Plain pumpkin puree only, never pie filling.
How to make pumpkin roll
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan, line it with parchment and grease the paper. Spread a clean thin cotton dish towel, bigger than the pan, flat on the counter and sift the 1/4 cup powdered sugar over it heavily and evenly. Do this before the batter; the towel must be ready when the cake comes out.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar on high for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick, pale and about doubled. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.
- Fold in the dry ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly into the corners. It will look like too little. It is a thin cake on purpose.
- Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until the top springs back when touched lightly. Do not bake longer to be safe; dry sponge cracks.
- Now work fast. The second the pan is out, run a knife around the edges and turn the pan over onto the sugared towel. Peel off the parchment. Starting at a short end, roll the cake and towel up together into a snug log, the towel spiraling inside the cake. Set it seam side down on a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Do not wait, not even a minute.
- Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
- Unroll the cooled cake gently. It will stay curved and want to roll back, which is what you want. Spread the filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges, thinner at the far end. Roll the cake back up the same way, without the towel, and set it seam side down.
- Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight. Trim the ends so the spiral shows, dust with powdered sugar and slice 1 inch thick.
Tips that make the difference
- Sift the powdered sugar onto the towel and do not skimp. Bare cloth grabs the hot cake and tears it.
- Roll from the short end. The spiral is tighter and the slices are taller.
- Line the pan with parchment even if it is nonstick. The cake is too thin to pry out.
- Chill before slicing. A cold roll cuts clean; a warm one smears the filling.
Variations
- Walnut. Sprinkle 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (85g) over the batter in the pan before baking. They end up on the outside of the roll, the old community cookbook way.
- Maple filling. Replace the vanilla in the filling with 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup and beat in 2 tablespoons more powdered sugar to keep it stiff.
- Orange. Beat the finely grated zest of one orange into the filling. It brightens the spice without anyone knowing why.
- Spice cake roll. Leave out the pumpkin and use 1/4 cup applesauce (60g) in its place. Same towel, same roll.
Storage and make-ahead
The finished roll keeps, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for 5 days, and it is better on the second day, once the filling has firmed. Slice it cold.
It freezes well for up to 1 month, wrapped in plastic and foil, whole or sliced with parchment between the slices. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, still wrapped.
Do not leave it on the counter for more than a couple of hours. The filling is cream cheese and belongs in the cold.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my pumpkin roll crack?
Almost always because it cooled flat before it was rolled, even for a minute, or because it was overbaked. Have the sugared towel ready before the pan goes in, pull the cake at 13 to 15 minutes, and roll it the instant it lands on the towel. If it cracks anyway, fill it, roll it, and cover the top with powdered sugar.
Can I skip the towel and use parchment paper?
You can roll the hot cake in a sheet of parchment dusted with powdered sugar. The towel wicks steam and holds the shape a little better, but the important part is rolling it hot, not what you roll it in.
Can I use canned pumpkin pie filling?
No. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and the sponge will come out wet and heavy and refuse to roll. Use plain pumpkin puree, and only the 2/3 cup the recipe calls for.
Can I make it ahead for a potluck?
Yes, and you should. Make it the day before, wrap it tightly and refrigerate overnight. It slices cleaner and tastes better than a roll made the same morning.
Towel first, cake second, and roll it while it burns your fingertips a little. That is the whole secret, and now you are one of the women who can.
Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling (Rolled Hot in a Towel)
The old-fashioned pumpkin roll: a thin spiced pumpkin sponge baked in a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan, turned out onto a powdered-sugar dish towel, rolled up hot, then filled with cream cheese. Cups and grams, the oven time, and why it never cracks.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (160g), plain pumpkin, not pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (30g), for the towel
- One 8 ounce block full-fat cream cheese (226g), softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85g), softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- More powdered sugar, for dusting the finished roll
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan, line it with parchment and grease the paper. Spread a clean thin cotton dish towel, bigger than the pan, flat on the counter and sift the 1/4 cup powdered sugar over it heavily and evenly. Do this before the batter; the towel must be ready when the cake comes out.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar on high for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick, pale and about doubled. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.
- Fold in the dry ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly into the corners. It will look like too little. It is a thin cake on purpose.
- Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until the top springs back when touched lightly. Do not bake longer to be safe; dry sponge cracks.
- Now work fast. The second the pan is out, run a knife around the edges and turn the pan over onto the sugared towel. Peel off the parchment. Starting at a short end, roll the cake and towel up together into a snug log, the towel spiraling inside the cake. Set it seam side down on a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Do not wait, not even a minute.
- Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
- Unroll the cooled cake gently. It will stay curved and want to roll back, which is what you want. Spread the filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges, thinner at the far end. Roll the cake back up the same way, without the towel, and set it seam side down.
- Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight. Trim the ends so the spiral shows, dust with powdered sugar and slice 1 inch thick.
