Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake

Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake is a show-stopping fall dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make! This moist pumpkin sponge cake is filled with luscious cream cheese frosting and rolled into a beautiful swirl that tastes like autumn in every bite. With warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, it’s the perfect treat for Thanksgiving, holiday gatherings, or any cozy afternoon when you’re craving something special.

Love More Pumpkin Cakes? Try My Pumpkin Earthquake Cake or this Pumpkin Spice Cake next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake is everything you want in a fall dessert. The cake itself is incredibly soft and packed with all those cozy pumpkin spice flavors we crave this time of year. The cream cheese filling is rich, tangy, and perfectly sweet—it balances the spices beautifully.

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Ingredient List

For the Cake

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 large eggs (cold from fridge is fine whatever)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup pumpkin puree (NOT THE PIE FILLING CHECK THE CAN)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup butter, softened (one stick)
• 1⅓ to 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional Items Needed

• Powdered sugar for dusting everything

Substitution Notes:

• Out of pumpkin? Used sweet potato once when Target was completely sold out. Different but not bad.
• Dairy-free? My friend uses Kite Hill cream cheese blocks and Country Crock plant butter. Works she says.
• Missing spices? Buy pumpkin pie spice jar use like 2½ teaspoons call it done.

Why These Ingredients Work

Pumpkin keeps it moist which is literally the only thing that matters. Made this once with not enough pumpkin and it cracked so bad it looked like the Grand Canyon. Needed probably six rolls of paper towels to clean up the mess. Moisture equals no cracks that’s the whole game.

All those spices make your house smell insane while baking. My neighbor Karen two houses down texted “what are you making it smells amazing” last time I made this. She was in her backyard. The smell traveled that far.

Eggs make it fluffy and bendy. Baking powder and baking soda make it rise and turn golden. That’s all I know about that I’m not a scientist.

Filling is where things get real. Cream cheese stops it from being tooth-achingly sweet and butter makes it spreadable. Both gotta be soft though. Tried spreading cold filling once and literally punched holes through the cake in like four spots. Flipped it over so the holes were on bottom and nobody knew but I knew.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Need this stuff:

• Jelly roll pan (10×15 with sides)
• Parchment paper (mandatory)
• Clean kitchen towel (thin one not your bathroom towels)
• Wire rack
• Hand mixer (don’t have stand mixer don’t need one)
• Bowls
• Whisk spatula whatever
• Sifter thing for powdered sugar
• Sharp knife
• Plastic wrap

How To Make Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake

Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Preheat

Oven to 375. Parchment in pan spray or butter it. Here’s the thing that’ll save your life later—get your kitchen towel out RIGHT NOW and dump powdered sugar all over it. Tons of it. Don’t be shy. When that cake comes out you’re moving fast and if you don’t have this ready you’ll be panicking looking for a towel while your cake turns into a brick.

Step 2: Mix Your Dry Ingredients

Flour baking powder baking soda salt all the spices in a bowl. Whisk it around good. I didn’t mix the spices in properly once and got a bite that was basically pure ground cloves and thought I was gonna die. Mix it properly.

Step 3: Beat the Eggs and Sugar

Eggs and sugar in big bowl beat for like 3-4 minutes until thick and pale. You’re whipping air into it that’s what makes it not dense. Lift the beaters up and it should drip off in ribbons and sit there on top for a second. That’s your sign.

Step 4: Add Pumpkin and Vanilla

Dump in pumpkin and vanilla mix until smooth and orange. Don’t go nuts just mix it. That orange color makes me so happy every single time.

Step 5: Fold in Dry Ingredients

This is where people mess up. FOLD the dry stuff in with a spatula don’t beat it. Just fold gently until you don’t see white flour anymore. Some lumps totally fine. First time I made this I mixed until perfectly smooth thinking I was being thorough and cake came out tough and cracked everywhere. Do less here.

Step 6: Spread and Bake

Pour in pan spread to corners make it even. Oven. Timer 13 minutes. When timer beeps poke the top. Bounces back it’s done. Leaves dent one more minute. Don’t walk away don’t forget about it because overbaking means cracks and sadness.

Step 7: The Critical Roll

THE SECOND IT COMES OUT flip onto sugared towel. Not in 30 seconds not after it cools a minute. IMMEDIATELY. Peel parchment off. Roll the whole thing up towel and all starting from short side. Let it cool completely rolled up. This trains it to hold the shape so it doesn’t crack later. First person told me to do this I was like “you’re pranking me” but it’s legit the secret.

Step 8: Make the Cream Cheese Filling

Cake cools for an hour so make filling now. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth no lumps anywhere. Add powdered sugar slowly keep beating until thick and creamy. Taste it. Want it sweeter add more. I use all of it pretty much always because sweet filling is the point.

Step 9: Unroll and Fill

Cake totally cold—like completely not even warm—unroll it. It’ll want to curl back that’s fine. Spread filling everywhere leave half inch at far edge empty. Otherwise when you roll it filling squishes out the sides and you’re cleaning cream cheese off your counter for twenty minutes.

Step 10: The Final Roll and Chill

Roll back up no towel this time. Easier now right cause it learned. Seam side down on plate. Wrap plastic wrap tight refrigerate minimum hour but I always do overnight. Next day is better anyway.

Step 11: Serve and Enjoy

Unwrap dust powdered sugar on top. Sharp knife wipe between cuts. Watch people lose their minds about the swirls. Never gets old.

You Must Know

Cake HAS to be hot when you roll it first time. Just out of oven steaming hot. Once it cools flat it’s stiff and will snap when you try to bend it. This is the difference between success and throwing it in the trash crying. Not kidding about the crying part happened to me year one.

Don’t overbake. Dry cake cracks guaranteed. Check at 13 minutes should bounce back but not look dried out. Rather underbake slightly than overbake at all.

Cream cheese and butter soft or you’re screwed. Should squish easy when you poke. Not melted not greasy just soft. Cold filling rips holes in your cake and then you’re mad. Two hours on counter before starting.

Personal Secret: Keep spray bottle with water nearby. See tiny cracks starting I give it ONE tiny spritz and it stays flexible. One spray barely anything. Too much and it’s soggy and ruined.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Parchment only never wax paper. Used wax paper by accident once cake stuck so bad threw whole thing away cried a little wasted ingredients still mad.
• Room temp eggs beat fluffier but I use cold eggs half the time works fine.
• Thin kitchen towels best. Used thick bath towel once left weird bumpy marks all over outside.
• Read pumpkin can should just say “pumpkin” in ingredients. Pie filling has sugar and spices ruins everything.
• Cracks happen. Roll with cracked side inside. Or dump powdered sugar on top hide it. Nobody knows.
• Score tiny line where starting roll helps it roll straight not bunchy.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Ways to change:

Maple Filling: Maple extract instead vanilla plus tablespoon real maple syrup. Dad asks for this every year without fail.

Chocolate Drizzle: Melt chocolate chips drizzle on top. Sounds weird tastes good.

Pecans: Toast chop half cup pecans mix in filling. Husband likes crunch.

Caramel: Drizzle caramel sauce each slice when serving.

Orange Zest: Teaspoon orange zest in batter makes it brighter.

Chai Spice: Quarter teaspoon cardamom three-quarters teaspoon ginger. Chai latte vibes.

Make-Ahead Options

Gets better overnight which is perfect for holidays.

Make ahead: Bake fill roll 2 days before. Keep wrapped in fridge.

Freeze whole thing: Wrap tight plastic then foil. 2 months frozen. Thaw fridge overnight. No powdered sugar until after thawing.

Freeze just cake: Bake roll in towel freeze month. Thaw make filling fresh roll up.

Filling ahead: Make 3 days early. Fridge covered. Warm to room temp stir before using.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Cake completely cold before unrolling adding filling. Even slightly warm filling melts everywhere. Did this once cream cheese all over counter and floor.
• Humid days stickier use more powdered sugar on towel.
• Pan size matters. Too big too thin tears. Too small too thick won’t roll. Get 10×15.
• Seam bottom looks better stops unrolling.
• Hot knife clean slices. Run under hot water wipe cut. Every slice.

Serving Suggestions

How we do it:

Whipped cream side cinnamon on top.

Coffee or chai with it.

Vanilla ice cream hot cold combo. Kids won’t eat without ice cream now.

Thanksgiving centerpiece gets most compliments always.

Candied nuts top if impressing people.

Caramel glaze drizzle before serving.

Feeds 10-12 but at my house 8 because husband cuts huge slices everyone wants seconds.

Hope you make this becomes regular at your house. Make it for years people still get excited. Every time someone asks for recipe. Now you got it.

How to Store Your Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake

Fridge: Wrap plastic or container. 5 days. Must refrigerate cream cheese makes people sick left out.

Freezer: Wrap tight plastic foil. 2 months. Thaw fridge overnight.

Temp: Cold fine but better sit out 10-15 minutes before eating. Filling softens tastes better.

Cut already: Container parchment between slices don’t stick.

Allergy Information

Has: Dairy butter cream cheese, eggs, gluten flour

Dairy-free: Dairy-free cream cheese blocks not tubs vegan butter. Friend does this works.

Gluten-free: 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum. More delicate. Haven’t tried heard it works.

Egg-free: Hard eggs do lots. Try flax eggs 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed 9 tablespoons water don’t know if rolls without cracking. Someone try tell me.

Nut-free: No nuts. Watch toppings variations.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My cake cracked when I rolled it—what did I do wrong?

Happens everyone don’t stress. Cake cooled too much before first roll or baked too long dried out or rolled too tight. Roll immediately while hot check early baking be gentle. Even cracked tastes amazing hide ugly side inside bury under powdered sugar.

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?

NO. Don’t. Pie filling has sugar spices other stuff. Cake way too sweet texture wrong. Need plain pumpkin puree can says just “pumpkin” nothing else.

How do I know when my cream cheese and butter are soft enough?

Poke finger in. Goes in easy ready. Not melted not greasy just soft. Room temp 65-70 degrees. Forgot hurry cut chunks sit 20 minutes or microwave 5-10 seconds check between.

Can I make this without a jelly roll pan?

Not really. Need 10×15 inches sides. 9×13 too small too deep. Only have cookie sheet try foil walls but jelly roll pans cheap buy one use for other stuff.

Why do I need to dust the towel with powdered sugar?

Stops sticking to towel while cooling rolled. No sugar peeling towel fuzz off cake ripping it. Use bunch powdered sugar save problems.

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