This easy recipe makes baking a moist and delicious Libby’s Pumpkin Roll easy enough for beginners!
This traditional family recipe, passed down through generations, has a moist pumpkin cake generously spiced with pumpkin pie spice and rolled around a perfectly sweet cream cheese filling.
Libbys classic pumpkin roll recipe is a classic holiday dessert, a guaranteed crowd pleaser… And with these simple step by step instructions, it’s easier than ever to make!
My Best Tips for a Perfect Pumpkin Roll
This is a fun recipe, but the best way to guarantee success is to get a few key things right. Here’s my best advice, especially if this is your first time!
Whip Those Eggs! This is the secret to a light, fluffy cake. Don’t skip the step of beating the eggs for a full 5 minutes until they are light, pale, and foamy. It makes all the difference in the final texture of your cake.
Embrace the Heat! The most important part of this recipe is rolling the cake while it’s hot, as soon as it comes out of the oven. This is when the cake is most flexible, and it will help prevent it from cracking. Don’t wait!
Prep Your Towel. Be generous when you sprinkle that clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. This is your magic shield against the cake sticking, making it so much easier to unroll later.
Room Temp Cream Cheese. Make sure your cream cheese and butter for the filling are truly at room temperature. This is the key to getting a perfectly smooth, lump-free filling that spreads like a dream.
Trust the Process. After you roll the cake in the towel, you must let it cool completely before you unroll it to add the filling. This lets the cake set in its new shape. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect the first time—it will still taste amazing!
How to Make Libby’s Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Whip Up the Wet Ingredients: In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs vigorously for 5 minutes until light and airy. Gradually add the white sugar, followed by the pumpkin puree and lemon juice, incorporating everything until well combined.
Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, gently stirring until just combined.
Bake to Perfection: Pour the batter into a prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Bake just until the top of the cake springs back when touched.
Prepare for Rolling: While the cake bakes, generously sprinkle a clean cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Once the cake is done, carefully invert it onto the prepared tea towel.
Roll with Care: Starting from the narrow end, gently roll up the cake and towel together. This will help the cake maintain its shape and prevent cracking. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Craft the Creamy Filling: While the cake cools, make the filling. Combine the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Unroll and Fill: Unroll the cooled cake and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the surface, leaving a small border around the edges.
Reroll and Chill: Carefully reroll cake without the towel, encasing the delicious filling within. Wrap your perfect pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the filling to set.
Serve & Savor: For a beautiful presentation, dust the chilled pumpkin roll with additional powdered sugar right before slicing and serving, and enjoy!
Want more pumpkin deliciousness? If you love this pumpkin roll, you’ll want to try my other pumpkin recipes, perfect for fall baking. Dive into a fluffy slice of Sourdough Pumpkin Bread, start your morning with a gooey Soft Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll, or bake up some amazing Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes. For something a little different, my Spiced Pumpkin Scones are an absolute treat, and you can’t go wrong with my classic Perfect Pumpkin Pie.
I want to know what YOU think… Please review the recipe card!
Libby’s Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Equipment
- parchment paper Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper for easy removal and rolling.
- Wire Rack After baking, transfer the cake roll to a wire rack to cool.
- A Clean Kitchen Towel A clean, cotton kitchen towel, or tea towel, for rolling the cake and ensuring its shape.
- 10 inch Jelly Rolls Pan
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper about 1/8 of a teaspoon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- For the Filling:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper as well.
- next, In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- Then, In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together until well combined.
- next, Add the pumpkin puree and lemon juice to the egg mixture, and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 13-15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched.
- While the cake is baking, lay a clean kitchen towel flat on the counter and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
- As soon as the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and immediately turn it out onto the prepared kitchen towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Starting at one of the short ends, roll the cake and towel together into a log. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Once the cake is completely cool, carefully unroll it from the towel.
- Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cake.
- Carefully roll the cake back up, this time without the towel.
- Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving.
- Before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
