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    Home > Recipes > Cakes + Cupcakes

    Granny Kat’s Pumpkin Roll

    Published: Oct 5, 2013 | Updated: Sep 8, 2022

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    Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll Chef Farr
    Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll Chef Lindsey Farr

    This spiced Pumpkin Roll is easier to make than you think! It is a soft, moist pumpkin cake rolled up with an easy cream cheese frosting!

    Jump to Recipe
    Pumpkin Roll slice vintage fork

    Now I have no idea who Granny Kat is, but I wish I did because she deserves a personal thank you for this Pumpkin Roll. The pumpkin cake is moist and flavorful and the cream cheese filling is sensational!

    When I first made this in 2013 I was super nervous, but I shouldn’t have been. It is way easier than you’d think and you know I am going to give you all the professional tips and tricks so that your pumpkin rolls will be fantastic on the first try. If you aren’t feeling the roulade stress, you could bake my pumpkin spice layer cake instead. Both use my favorite cream cheese buttercream for that sweet, tangy cream cheese layer. It is also phenomenal with a little bourbon like in these pumpkin pecan pie cupcakes or this red velvet layer cake. It’s the holidays. Pour it up!

    Table of Contents
    • How to make a perfect pumpkin roll cake
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Chef Lindsey's Recipe Tips
    • Recipe
    • Comments
    YouTube video

    How to make a perfect pumpkin roll cake

    • Start with a well baked cake: An over-baked cake will be dry and have a tendency to crack. Brush with simple syrup for a quick fix. An underbaked cake is possibly worse because it will be sticky and gooey and it will stick to the towel and to you and to basically everything you don’t want it to stick to. If this happens skip pre-rolling in the towel and allow to cool completely in the pan before rolling.
    • Cool the cake in a towel: Cooling the cake in the towel really does make a world of difference because it keeps your cake moist. Pre-rolling the cake allows it to acclimate to its new rolled shape. It is less likely to crack.   
    • Chill your cake well before slicing and slice with a sharp knife or a serrated knife!
    Pumpkin Roll unsliced top view

    Ingredients

    • All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make a tender pumpkin roll cake that is still flexible enough to roll.
    • Sugar: I use granulated sugar in this cake. It is here for the more obvious flavor reasons, but also to aid in leavening, moisture, texture and stability.
    • Baking Soda: Do check the freshness of your baking soda! It does lose potency over time. If it's not fresh, send it to the back of the refrigerator to absorb some odors, or clean your marble countertops with it!
    • Pumpkin Pie Spice: Spices are best used within one year of purchase. They will be most potent and true to their original flavor. This recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice mix. I used my recipe but you could use store-bought as well.
    • Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby's pumpkin puree because it is consistent and that is what I use to develop all my recipes. Use whichever brand you prefer. Just be sure to grab pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix! I would not suggest substituting homemade pumpkin puree due to the varying moisture content. Canned pumpkin puree is tightly controlled within a certain percentage. Too much moisture will make the pumpkin roll cake gummy and flat.
    • Eggs: Whole eggs allow you to emulsify all that oil into the batter, resulting in a moist, not greasy, cake. They also help with leavening by trapping air with the sugar.
    • Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is the flavor here! My motto for citrus juices is that fresh is always best. If you must use store-bought, try to find a frozen option that is frozen fresh juice, or sometimes it can be found in the refrigerator section. If it looks dark in color, then it is no longer going to taste fresh.
    • Powdered Sugar: Dust powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar over the cake prior to rolling.
    • Cream Cheese: I use original Philadelphia Cream Cheese for all my baked goods including frostings and buttercreams. I also use full fat though reduced fat can be substituted. Just ensure that it is not whipped. Whipped will make the buttercream too soft and it won't support the layers or stay in the roll.
    • Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking, because you want to control the amount of salt you are adding. In frostings and buttercreams the butter is there for stability. It will firm up when cold, which helps the buttercream stay in the pumpkin roll.
    • Confectioner's Sugar: We use confectioner's sugar in American buttercreams because it ground finely into a powder.
    • Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract adds a beautiful flavor to the buttercream.

    Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese frosting on top

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How to fix a dry, over baked cake?

    While there is no real fix other than starting again, you can cheat it by brushing it with an easy simple syrup. Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil then cool completely.  Brush the cake with the cold syrup prior to assembling.

    How to keep a pumpkin roll from cracking?

    The first step to keeping a pumpkin roll from cracking is to properly bake the cake. An over-baked cake will crack when rolled and an under-baked cake will stick to the towel, parchment or plastic wrap.
    The second step is cooling the cake rolled in a clean, dry kitchen towel. This gets the cake used to its new rolled shape and will be less likely to crack.   

    What to do when your pumpkin roll cracks?

    No tears will fix a cracked pumpkin roll, so it’s best just to whip up extra of my favorite cream cheese buttercream to slather on top. You can also add a little whiskey to the buttercream. This will cover the cracks and stop the tears 😉

    Pumpkin Roll three plates
    Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll Chef Farr
    Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll Chef Lindsey Farr
    Chef Lindsey Farr

    Chef Lindsey's Recipe Tips

    The biggest take-away from this whole post is, don’t stress! Pumpkin rolls look fancy but it is just a simple, oil-based cake that is made in one bowl. You can cover any cracks with more cream cheese buttercream and no one will be the wiser!

    Recipe

    Granny Kat’s Pumpkin Roll

    Chef Lindsey
    This spiced Pumpkin Roll is easier to make than you think! It is a soft, moist pumpkin cake is rolled around an easy cream cheese frosting!
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Assembling Time15 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 people
    Calories 271 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    For the Cake:

    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 cup pumpkin puree
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

    For the Filling:

    • 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
    • ¼ cup butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup confectioners sugar

    For the Topping:

    • 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions
     

    • Make the Cake:
    • Preheat oven to 375° and grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan. Do use the right sized pan so that your cake is an even thickness. I realized my pan was too large too late. Next time I won’t make such rookie Pumpkin Cake Roll mistakes.
    • In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread the mixture evenly.
    • Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly.
    • While the cake bakes, lay a clean, unscented, lint free towel on the counter and sprinkle with ¼ cup of confectioners sugar. Turn the cake onto the towel leaving only ½ inch of towel exposed at one short end. Start rolling the cake and towel together lengthwise at the end with the smallest overhang. Place the cake rolled in the towel on a cooling rack and let cool completely.
    • Make the icing: cream the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and 1 cup confectioners sugar together with an electric mixer.
    • When cake has cooled, gently unroll cake and spread the icing with a small offset spatula within a ¼ inch of each side. Carefully re-roll the cake, making sure to tuck filling into the starting curl so that there is filling at the very center of the roll. Dust with Topping.
    • Keep the cake refrigerated and slice right before serving.

    Video Instructions

    YouTube video

    Notes

    For the larger sized cake that I made in the video make a 1.5 times of the recipe as written.
    Keyword Autumn, desserts for entertaining, Fall, holiday desserts, pumpkin recipe, pumpkin spice dessert, thanksgiving
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr
    This spiced Pumpkin Roll is easier to make than you think! It is a soft, moist pumpkin cake is rolled around an easy cream cheese frosting!
    Pumpkin Roll

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    Recipe Rating




    Comments

    1. Sharon says

      November 26, 2021 at 2:51 pm

      I love your website and the way you explain things. You are an excellent teacher in your videos as well. I had an issue making the pumpkin roll and was hoping you could tell me what I did wrong. I made the recipe for the pumpkin roll in a 12x17 pan and it turned out to be about 3/4 inch thick and cracked completely in half when I tried to roll it. My pan was actually 11.5 x 16.5 interior measurement (I measure at the inside bottom of the pan for my measurements). Is your pan size measured by the interior or exterior measurement? I made it again and just made the Libby's recipe and put it in the same size pan, since I did not have a 10x13 and it turned out perfectly and did not crack when rolled. It was slightly thinner than I would have liked, but delicious and beautiful with icing and pecans on top! Guests where actually taking photos of it. So thanks for the inspiration to put the icing on top....great idea! The only thing different about the Libby's recipe besides the spices, is that it uses 2/3 cup pumpkin puree instead of 1 cup. So my question is, do you think it was the extra pumpkin, or was my pan too small because I measured the interior measurement instead of the exterior? Thanks so much for your help!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        November 26, 2021 at 3:59 pm

        Aww thank you, Sharon! I appreciate your readership!

        Reply
      • Lindsey says

        November 26, 2021 at 4:40 pm

        Oh, sorry, Sharon, I didn't see the rest of your comment. I don't think you used the wrong pan. Every pan is slightly different even "standard" ones. The fatter cakes are more susceptible to cracking, so you definitely have to pre-roll it when it is warm. If you did that, it could also be the baking time. The cakes will crack more if they are baked longer. I'm sure you can see in the video that mine also cracked. Part of that was because it was fatter and because I wanted a lot of frosting inside. The cracking was actually the reason I ended up putting icing on top. A happy accident for us both!

        Reply
    2. Sarah says

      October 24, 2018 at 10:58 am

      I’m going to try it in my pampered chef 14x10 bar pan.. should I line with parchment paper?

      Looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        November 11, 2018 at 6:25 pm

        Definitely! Better to be safe than sorry! Plus the parchment helps with the rolling process

        Reply
    3. Jacqui says

      October 23, 2014 at 10:15 am

      I love pumpkin rolls!! Thank you for linking up to Party Time and we hope to see you again next week!

      Reply
    4. Kelly says

      October 19, 2014 at 8:56 pm

      A jelly roll pan is bigger than 9 x 13 but is only an inch deep. That's what you typically use for a cake roll, not a 9 x 13 cake pan. Either way, can't wait to try it, but I will use my jelly roll pan. 🙂

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 19, 2014 at 11:41 pm

        A 9x13 jelly roll is what the original recipe called for. I didn't have one, so I used a rimmed cookie sheet and just didn't spread the batter to the edges. It worked but it wasn't as even as if I had had the correct sized pan.

        Reply
        • Glenda says

          November 23, 2014 at 7:00 pm

          Did you have two pumpkin rolls?? One post said there is enough for 2 rolls? I don't have the 9x13 jelly roll pan either. I will wait and buy one, this looks so good I want it to be right.

          Reply
          • Lindsey says

            November 24, 2014 at 7:56 am

            Hi Glenda, The recipe as written makes 1 pumpkin roll. I actually made the one you see in the pictures in a rimmed baking sheet and just didn't spread the batter all the way to the edges. That commenter substituted a box of cake mix for the flour and baking soda and sugar, and I think she was saying that she should have only used half the box. I've never tried using box cake mix, but I know that my recipe makes one roll! I'm sure your roll will be spectacular!

            Reply
    5. Mira says

      October 12, 2014 at 7:40 pm

      This pumpkin roll looks great! Perfect idea for Fall! Pinning and will try to make it soon !

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 13, 2014 at 8:49 am

        Thanks, Mira! It is delicious. I need to remake it soon!

        Reply
    6. jennifer polk says

      November 25, 2013 at 11:18 pm

      I goofed on my first attempt (used a recipe with boxed cake mix......forgot to only use half the batter for 1 roll....The recipe will normally yield 2 rolls....
      now I have a huge fat roll :'(

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        November 26, 2013 at 9:08 am

        LOL! It happens to the best of us! I didn't have the right sized pan when I made this one, because I failed to check my pans prior to mixing up the batter! So I ended up with some crispy, ugly edges 🙂
        Hopefully your chubby roll still tastes amazing!

        Reply
    7. Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says

      November 16, 2013 at 4:37 pm

      This pumpkin roll looks amazing! I absolutely love pumpkin, so I'd love to make (and eat!) this!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        November 16, 2013 at 5:49 pm

        Pumpkin makes me happy. There is no other way to say it. 🙂 Let me know if you try it!

        Reply
    8. Dina says

      October 16, 2013 at 10:08 pm

      it looks yummy!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 16, 2013 at 10:31 pm

        Thanks! They definitely are!

        Reply
    9. Kristina says

      October 08, 2013 at 11:01 am

      Gorgeous cake!! I've never made a roll before but they always look SO so yummy 🙂

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 09, 2013 at 12:21 am

        Thank you! It was fun once I got over the fear that I would break it or that mine would turn out hideous!

        Reply
    10. Miss Kim @ behgopa says

      October 08, 2013 at 4:02 am

      Ohh..more pumpkin recipes. Yummy! Reminds me...I should go buy some pumpkins too before pumpkin season rolls right by me. Pumpkins for cooking/baking and also for facials lol. So good for your skin!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 09, 2013 at 12:24 am

        They are good for your skin!? Now you tell me!

        Ps- I've never baked from a "real" pumpkin. I use the ones that are ready with the quick twist of a can opener! 😉

        Reply
    11. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

      October 07, 2013 at 11:36 pm

      Pumpkin rolls are my weakness, yours looks amazing! I am dreaming of a few pieces right now! 😉

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 09, 2013 at 12:25 am

        Thanks, Pamela! Everything pumpkin is my weakness! For serious. Can. Not. Resist.

        Reply
    12. Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says

      October 06, 2013 at 9:17 pm

      I've wanted to make a pumpkin roll for the longest time! Yours looks wonderful!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 07, 2013 at 10:25 pm

        You should totally try it! I don't know why I was so terrified before! They are sooo much better than store-bought.

        Reply
    13. Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says

      October 06, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      Nice photos! What a good looking pumpkin roll! It looks so soft. Pinning!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 06, 2013 at 1:26 pm

        Thanks Julia! It was definitely the moistest pumpkin roll I've ever had.

        Reply
    14. Phillip says

      October 05, 2013 at 8:34 am

      I make this every year at Thanksgiving (or recipe similar to it). Everyone loves it! Great photos! What type of lighting do you use?

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        October 05, 2013 at 11:41 am

        I'd love to try your recipe too! You aren't afraid of complicated recipes - that's one of the reasons I love your site!

        I use natural light coming in from the left side with a silver bounce on the right. I haven't mastered artificial light yet so I am a slave to weather.com!!

        Reply
        • ando says

          October 16, 2013 at 11:26 pm

          wish i could use natural light but i do all my cooking mostly at night so i have to adjust for artificial lighting.

          Reply
          • Lindsey says

            October 17, 2013 at 12:22 am

            I run into that problem a lot too, but I'm still trying to perfect my artificial light photography! Any tips?

            Reply

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