Libby's canned pumpkin recipe from the 1950s started this rolled cake trend—rolling it warm prevents the cracking everyone fears.
Pumpkin Roll
A delicious pumpkin roll cake filled with a creamy filling.
Prep
20
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This jelly-roll contraption didn't come from some American pumpkin patch—it's a direct descendant of the Swiss roll, which Austrian and Swiss bakers were rolling since the 1800s, later hijacked by 1950s American housewives who swapped jam for cream cheese and chucked in a tin of pumpkin, turning a European teatime staple into Thanksgiving's most structurally ambitious dessert.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans, bakers swap plain cinnamon for a proper Louisiana spice blend, adding nutmeg and clove to the batter, while doubling the cream cheese filling's thickness to stand up against the humidity that turns delicate desserts into puddles by July.
📝 Ingredients
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 tbsp soft butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
📦Other(2)
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 2/3 cup pumpkin mix
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
279
Protein
5g
Carbs
38g
Fat
13g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 2
Beat 3 eggs and add 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup pumpkin mix, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 3/4 cup flour. Mix well.
- 3
Spread the batter evenly in a greased and floured jelly roll pan.
- 4
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- 5
While the cake is baking, prepare the filling by mixing 2 tbsp soft butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 3/4 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
- 6
Once the cake is done, turn it out onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll the cake up with the towel and let it cool.
- 7
Unroll the cooled cake and spread the filling evenly over the cake.
- 8
Roll the cake back up without the towel, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper instead of just greasing and flouring—this prevents the thin 15-minute sponge cake from sticking and tearing when you flip it onto the powdered sugar towel, since the cake has minimal structure from only 3 eggs.equipment15-minute bake time
- ✓Roll the warm cake in the powdered sugar towel immediately after baking (within 1-2 minutes) while it's still pliable; the Maillard-browned exterior has cooled enough to handle but the crumb structure remains flexible, preventing cracks that form when cooled cake (which sets rigid) is forced to roll.timing1-2 minutes post-bake
- ✓Soften your cream cheese to 65-68°F (18-20°C) before mixing with butter to achieve an emulsion; if cold (below 55°F), the fat won't blend evenly and you'll get a grainy filling that won't spread smoothly over the delicate sponge layer.ingredient65-68°F (18-20°C)
- ✓Chill the filled roll for at least 2 hours before slicing; the filling needs time to set and firm up from the refrigerator's cold, which locks the cake-to-filling bond and prevents the moist pumpkin cake from compressing under the knife and creating uneven layers.timing2+ hours refrigeration
- ✓Use a serrated knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts when slicing; the pumpkin sponge is delicate (high moisture-to-flour ratio of approximately 0.89:1) and a hot blade glides through rather than compressing the crumb structure and squashing the filling.technique0.89:1 moisture-to-flour ratio
Share this recipe
Prep
20
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Libby's canned pumpkin recipe from the 1950s started this rolled cake trend—rolling it warm prevents the cracking everyone fears.
Pumpkin Roll
A delicious pumpkin roll cake filled with a creamy filling.
The Story
This jelly-roll contraption didn't come from some American pumpkin patch—it's a direct descendant of the Swiss roll, which Austrian and Swiss bakers were rolling since the 1800s, later hijacked by 1950s American housewives who swapped jam for cream cheese and chucked in a tin of pumpkin, turning a European teatime staple into Thanksgiving's most structurally ambitious dessert.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans, bakers swap plain cinnamon for a proper Louisiana spice blend, adding nutmeg and clove to the batter, while doubling the cream cheese filling's thickness to stand up against the humidity that turns delicate desserts into puddles by July.
📝 Ingredients
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 tbsp soft butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
📦Other(2)
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 2/3 cup pumpkin mix
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
279
Protein
5g
Carbs
38g
Fat
13g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 2
Beat 3 eggs and add 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup pumpkin mix, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 3/4 cup flour. Mix well.
- 3
Spread the batter evenly in a greased and floured jelly roll pan.
- 4
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- 5
While the cake is baking, prepare the filling by mixing 2 tbsp soft butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 3/4 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
- 6
Once the cake is done, turn it out onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll the cake up with the towel and let it cool.
- 7
Unroll the cooled cake and spread the filling evenly over the cake.
- 8
Roll the cake back up without the towel, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper instead of just greasing and flouring—this prevents the thin 15-minute sponge cake from sticking and tearing when you flip it onto the powdered sugar towel, since the cake has minimal structure from only 3 eggs.equipment15-minute bake time
- ✓Roll the warm cake in the powdered sugar towel immediately after baking (within 1-2 minutes) while it's still pliable; the Maillard-browned exterior has cooled enough to handle but the crumb structure remains flexible, preventing cracks that form when cooled cake (which sets rigid) is forced to roll.timing1-2 minutes post-bake
- ✓Soften your cream cheese to 65-68°F (18-20°C) before mixing with butter to achieve an emulsion; if cold (below 55°F), the fat won't blend evenly and you'll get a grainy filling that won't spread smoothly over the delicate sponge layer.ingredient65-68°F (18-20°C)
- ✓Chill the filled roll for at least 2 hours before slicing; the filling needs time to set and firm up from the refrigerator's cold, which locks the cake-to-filling bond and prevents the moist pumpkin cake from compressing under the knife and creating uneven layers.timing2+ hours refrigeration
- ✓Use a serrated knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts when slicing; the pumpkin sponge is delicate (high moisture-to-flour ratio of approximately 0.89:1) and a hot blade glides through rather than compressing the crumb structure and squashing the filling.technique0.89:1 moisture-to-flour ratio