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We’re crazy about pumpkin goodies!

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Renee Vargas

Pumpkin spice cupcakes, pumpkin s’mores cookies, pumpkin pie macarons, and pumpkin rolls are just a few fallish treats gracing the display cases at Renee’s Cake Shoppe on Main Street right now. I thought I would share my recipe for Pumpkin Roll with Macon Sense’s readers. I have been making this recipe at home for over 30 years. Pumpkin roll has definitely been our family’s favorite dessert at Thanksgiving and Christmas! It is truly not fall until you have had a slice of pumpkin roll!  

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsps. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • For rolling: 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Manager Zoe Girard sifts the confectioners’ sugar on the cooled pumpkin cake before adding the frosting and rolling it up.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Spray a 10×15″ pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter, then line it with parchment paper.  Spray or grease the parchment paper, too. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.  Bake for 17–18 minutes, or until the cake springs back when you poke it with a finger.

Lay a thin kitchen towel flat on the counter. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup confectioners sugar. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the towel. Peel off the parchment paper, then, starting with the narrow end, begin rolling the cake up with the towel. Do this slowly and gently. The cake will be warm, as it just came out of the oven.

Allow the cake to cool completely while rolled up in the towel.

Make the frosting: 

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy.

Gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread frosting evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the cake. Gently and slowly roll the cake back up, without the towel this time. Make sure you’re rolling it tightly.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.  Dust lightly with confectioners sugar before serving.

Renee Vargas is the owner of Renee's Cake Shoppe on Main Street.