A friend gave me this recipe more than twenty years ago and I have made it without fail every year since. Looking back I’m amazed I learned to make pumpkin roll the old fashion way, without internet assistance. How did I even manage to put a meal together before Food blogs, Pinterest, Google or YouTube?? All I can guess is I wasn’t very creative with my meal planning. Now I’m giving away how old I am, but on the positive side I have many many many years experience and you can trust my recipe 🙂

I originally got this recipe from a friend over the telephone. At the time I had four small children and thinking back, how did I have time to talk on the phone?? My friend also had four small children and it amazes me that  we had time and energy to bake. I ended up jotting down the recipe on several pieces of scratch paper. It’s hard to believe I didn’t write with a crayon. Back then I was naive to think all I needed was a list of ingredients and didn’t bother to ask for technique. I was more concerned with keeping track of kids, not rolling pumpkin roll. The innocence of being young, I figured if you threw the ingredients together it magically turned into something edible and beautiful.

This pumpkin roll recipe does not have extra spices in it, it stands very well on its own. You may add your favorite spices to personalize it to your taste. The cream cheese filling is the perfect combination of cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. I admit, I do sample a couple teaspoons before filling the roll…shhhh

Through trial and error I have learned what to do and what not to do. When making pumpkin roll, there are a few tricks to learn so the cake doesn’t crack. Please read the notes at the end of the recipe for tips to create the perfect pumpkin roll.

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Classic Pumpkin Roll

Course: Dessert

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup flour

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1.  In a large bowl beat 3 eggs together
   

2. Add sugar, pumpkin, baking soda, cinnamon and flour to the eggs. Mix well
   

3. Grease jelly roll pan or line with parchment paper
   

4. 
   

   Spread mixture on pan
   

5. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees
   

6. Let stand for about 3 minutes before taking out of pan
   

7. Turn upside down on a lint free towel that you have sprinkled confectioners' sugar on (to prevent sticking)
   

8. Roll up into the towel like a jelly roll
   

9. Let cool for 45 minutes
   

10. Unroll carefully and spread with cream cheese filling
    

11. Roll up again in wax paper, then refrigerate
    

Cream Cheese Filling

1. Beat all the filling ingredients until creamed
   

Recipe Notes

*It is very important to use the proper size jelly roll pan for this to work. I use a 15x17 inch jelly roll pan with no sides. Using a smaller pan makes the cake part too thick, the cake needs to be on the thinner side or it will crack when rolling.

 

*If the ends come out of the oven too hard/burnt, use a pizza cutter to trim off the hard edges.

 

*Use lots of confectioners' sugar on the towel to prevent the cake from sticking.

 

*Be sure to use a lint free towel to prevent any fuzz coming off on the cake.

 

*When filling with cream cheese, spread leaving an inch around the borders.