Pumpkin Roll Cake is pretty much everything you love about fall flavors in one sweet bite! This classic pumpkin cake is loaded with seasonal spices and filled with a simple cream cheese filling. Don’t be intimidated by the technique, it’s really manageable and the result is stunning. If you follow a few simple steps, you will end up with a beautiful cake roll that will pop off of any dessert buffet.

I’ve been making this cake all fall and it’s been a huge hit! The cake is truly beautiful with lovely little cream cheese swirls against that perfect pumpkin orange color. It’s really more impressive and delicious than it is labor intensive. Follow these easy steps and you will have a gorgeous, show piece of a cake for your Thanksgiving dessert buffet!

Prepared jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

The first step is to prepare a jelly-roll pan. A jelly-roll pan is basically a smaller version of a sheet pan. I give my jelly-roll pan a light spray and then put parchment paper in the pan. I spray the pan because it helps the parchment paper adhere to the pan and not slide around when I’m pouring the cake batter into the pan. I then give the parchment paper a light spray so that the paper releases easily from the cake after baking.

Spread cake batter evenly in pan.

Spread the batter evenly into the jelly-roll pan.

Baked cake.

This cake comes together quickly! Mine baked for about 12 minutes. It’s finished when you touch the cake and it springs back. You can see where I tested this cake and it wasn’t ready. OOPS!

Work quickly at this point. You can see how easy the parchment paper makes it to lift the cake out of the pan. In addition, I run a knife between the parchment paper and the sides of the cake to begin the process of peeling off the parchment paper. Then I turn the cake onto a thin kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Once the cake is on the powdered sugar towel, very carefully (and slowly) peel the parchment paper off of the cake.

Carefully roll cake in powdered sugar dusted kitchen towel. Towel should be thin. Oh, and clean. 🙂

Here comes the fun part! Roll the cake from one narrow end to the other. Once cake is rolled in the towel, set it seam side down on a wire rack to cool. This gives the cake a little “muscle memory” and helps it keep it shape after it’s filled with that perfect cream cheese filling! Once the cake has cooled, unroll cake and spread cream cheese filling evenly on the cake and roll it back up. Always keep the seam side down. Place in refrigerator to set.

Pretty little thing.

TA-DA! When you are ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar and slice with a serrated knife.

You can find a jelly-roll pan here.

You can find a serrated knife here.

Pro-tip: I use an off set spatula to spread things evenly. You can find an off-set spatula here.

Congratulations to all the parents out there who survived another Halloween. I’m so happy that the costumes are stored, the extra candy has been donated, and hopefully, my neighbor will take down the creepy, blood covered clown with a sign that says, YOU ARE NEXT. Can’t wait to what she has in store for Christmas.

One seasonal item from Halloween that lives on in my kitchen all year is pepitas. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds. When I was a little girl in Wisconsin, my mom used to scrape the seeds from our pumpkins and roast them until they golden and crisp. These crunchy, salty treats were one of my favorite seasonal treats and super special since we only got them once a year.

I got the idea for keeping roasted pepitas in the house from one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge serves a beautiful Caesar Salad with a little twist: they finish it off with a perfect sprinkling of roasted pepitas. I know it’s not traditional but it happens to be totally delicious. It hits the right note of a light creamy dressing contrasted with the salty crunch of the pepitas. Kind of perfect, right?

It’s no secret I am always on the hunt for new and interesting snacks for my kids. I love this one for school snack because we have a strict NO NUT policy at school. It’s the perfect replacement for the almonds I used to send to school before the nut ban. It’s also a great study snack. When the kids are doing homework, I put a little bowl of these roasted pepitas on the table and they are always gone by the end of the session.

These seeds are the perfect snack and a great addition to salads and soups. The seeds I use are sold in packages as raw pepitas. No need to be carving pumpkins for the great treat.

Enjoy!

Hands down this is my favorite recipe for Pumpkin Bread. A dear family friend shared it with us when I was a little girl growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I’ve been making it ever since. As soon as the calendar flips to October, this bread is on constant replay in my house. It’s simple, delicious, and addictive. Last night, my husband grabbed a slice and said, “This bread is just ridiculous.” That’s pretty much the highest baking compliment in the world from him!

This is the kind of bread that will become a seasonal staple in your baking arsenal. I send this out as a thank you, as gifts over Thanksgiving, and of course, you know I love a clever hostess gift. If you are over the idea of gifting the dinner party hostess with a candle, this pumpkin bread is a beautiful gift. I wrap a loaf of pumpkin bread with a nice jar of pumpkin butter or orange marmalade. It makes the perfect breakfast for a busy hostess after a big night of entertaining.

Enjoy this taste of my childhood.

xo