A classic fall dessert, pecan pumpkin roll cake with smooth cream cheese filling is a must at our Thanksgiving table. One bite and you’ll understand why!
My mom was an amazing cook! May it be a simple family dinner or a holiday she would add love to every meal. She loved trying out new recipes but her classics were our favorites. Especially at holidays. It was our family tradition. Roll cakes for holidays were mandatory!
Most of the time it was a simple vanilla roll cake, other times it was a chocolate roll cake. No matter what flavor or filling she would make, we’d devour the cake in no time! I grew up with roll cakes and wanted to keep the tradition with my family as well. Bring on the holidays and the tea towel to roll a cake!
Although my mom never made us a pumpkin roll cake, I’ve been making one for my family for few years now at Thanksgiving. Every year it’s a slightly different version or I choose another flavor for the filling, but I think, with this recipe found in the fall baking issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine I found the one!
It’s practically impossible to resist that spongy, moist pumpkin cake rolled up with a thick cream cheese filling. This mild flavored pumpkin roll cake is sprinkled with chopped pecans just before baking to give the cake a light nutty flavor but also to give it a crunchy bite as well.
If you’re intimidated by the roll cakes, you really should not be. It’s fairly easy to make them. All you have to do is follow the basic rules for the roll cakes. Beat the eggs with the sugar until enough air is incorporated and gently fold in the remaining ingredients. The baking time is around 10-15 minutes, depending on the cake. The cake it’s done when it a little puffed and springs back when touched.
The biggest fear people seem to have with a roll call is the cracking, but this can be prevented by rolling the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven in a clean sugar-dusted towel. Doing this step gives the cake its shape so once it is cooled it can be easily unrolled, filled, and rolled up again without cracking or breaking into pieces.
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Sending love your way,
Roxana
Roll cakes have ALWAYS scared me! I think I am scared it will be a big unrolled hot mess disaster but this looks SOOOO yummy I might just have to suck it up and try it! Pinning it!
I used to make the French Buche De Noel, French Yule log, one year when I was around 20 and dating at Georgia Tech, I was asked to make 6! Yep. They’re not hard. Just takes patience. Just go right by the instructions and be sure to use the right type of towel. Piece of cake! Excuse the pun. Enjoy! They’re really easy. b
Gorgeous! Fabulous showstopper for a holiday table!
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
That Pecan Pumpkin Roll Looks SO DELICIOUS !!!!!!!!
Beautiful roll, I love this fall dessert!
Oh my goodness, this looks so incredibly delicious!!!! I can’t wait to make a pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving, I’ll have to add pecans too! This looks so so so good!!!
I feel in love with this cake as soon as I first saw it on my feed. Love it! Cake rolls were a favorite growing up–can’t wait to try this.
Hi Roxana, ma apuca nostalgia vazand blogul tau. Si la noi acasa se faceau aceleasi bunatati. Felicitari pentru site si pentru frumoasele fotografii. Cand le vad imi lasa gura apa 🙂
Buna Daniela,
Cred ca mai toate familiile faceau aceleasi prjituri de sarbatori ani la rand. De fapt, si acum mama mea mai face rulada de sarbatori.
Multumesc pentru complimente 🙂
Roxana
Simply delicious recipies and thanks for sharing!!
I’ve never had a pumpkin roll with nuts. I bet it’s amazing!
I did a similar roll last year with the pecans in the cream cheese and the pecans really changes the traditional pumpkin roll into an even better dessert! Yours is beautiful!
Need this cake in my life NOW!!!
Beautiful cake Roxana! You most definitely take after your mom! This cake looks and sounds like a winner!
This is just WOW ! Roxy! This would be happy holiday table, Great recipe and as always mouthwatering pics!
Hello there! I LOVE a good pumpkin roll. I make one every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve already made two this fall, but, for some reason the cake is not light and moist, like in your photo (and my past cakes). They’ve come out flat and dense. Any suggestions (from anyone) as to what I may be doing wrong?
Hi Angela,
The lightness of the cake is given by the air incorporated while beating the eggs. That’s why it’s recommended to beat the eggs until they increase in volume and they urn pale in color.
Also, you have to stir in the flour just until combine. The more you beat the batter, the chewier and dense your cake will turn out.
I have a question about the pumpkin cake roll, after baking when you roll it up do you roll the tea towel in the roll or just the cake?
Hi Jenn,
When making a roll cake you roll the towel with the cake. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/gallery-how-to-roll-jelly-cake/ho-roll-jelly-roll-4
Thanks,
this cake looks awesome
This cake looks wonderful, I do love pumpkin and cream cheese together all rolled up and looking pretty too. A great addition to the Thanksgiving desserts.
It says you an refrigerate for two to three days. Have you tried to freeze one and serve it at a later date?
Hi there,
You can not freeze a whipped cream roll cake. The filling will get all mushy when thawing it. Unless you’re serving it as a frozen treat 🙂
Pumpkin roll is the best Thanksgiving dessert ever!
Iam big on keeping traditions. I love that yours is a deliciousl cake roll.
Made this yesterday to practice before making it for thanksgiving..it was delicious! Thank you
First time making this delightful pumpkin roll! Much easier than I thought it would be. Now I will try the others. Thanks
Yay! So happy to hear that Debbie!
Roll cake just look scary, but they are pretty easy to make!
Roxana
Can you believe Ive never made a roll cake before? What a fun tradition to be passed down from your mom! This pumpkin cake looks amazing! I think I need to add it to my Thanksgiving menu!
Roll cakes were for my Romanian family as pie is for an American family at a holiday table.
Thanks for stopping by Aimee!
Happy holidays,
Roxana