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Classic Pumpkin Roll

A classic and elegant Thanksgiving dessert. A light and moist pumpkin sponge cake filled with a creamy mascarpone cheese filling and toasted nuts.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Easy Sponge Cake, Pumpkin Dessert, Pumpkin Roll, Show Stopping Desserts, Thanksgiving Dessert, Thanksgiving Roll
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author The Tiny Fairy

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup Libby's canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Filling

  • ½ cup walnuts, toasted on a dry skillet & chopped
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cream cheese substitute with American cream cheese
  • 1 ¼ cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar, sifted
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla paste or extract

Decorating and Garnishes

  • ¼ cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
  • sugared fresh cranberries
  • sugared rosemary sprigs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and place rack in the center of the oven. Prepare jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper and lightly greasing it with a baking spray like Pam or Baker's Joy.

  2. Generously dust a tea towel with powdered sugar. Set aside.

Making the Sponge Cake

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs on high speed for about five minutes. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the eggs are pale yellow and thick. Add pumpkin and lemon juice and mix until incorporated.

  2. In a separate bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, ground ginger, kosher salt and ground nutmeg. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

  3. Spread the batter evenly onto the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake at 375°F for 13-15 minutes until cake springs back when lightly touched.

  4. Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto the prepared tea towel. Slowly roll the sponge cake in the tea towel starting with the short end. Place on a baking rack and set aside until the cake has cooled to room temperature.

Making the Filling

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla paste (or extract) until fluffy.

Assembling the Pumpkin Roll

  1. Carefully unroll the cake and remove it from the tea towel. Spread the cream cheese filling starting from the curled edge evenly throughout the roll, leaving a one inch edge at the end of the roll without any filling. Sprinkle with the toasted, chopped nuts (if desired).

    Note: to toast nuts in a skillet simply add the nuts to a dry pan and saute over medium heat for a few minutes until the nuts are toasty and fragrant. You need to stir or toss constantly otherwise they will quickly brown on one side.

  2. Gently roll the cake back up and cover in plastic wrap seam side down. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably four hours.

Decorate and Garnish

  1. Unwrap the cake from the plastic wrap and plate it seam side down. Dust with confectioner's (powdered) sugar. Optional: garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs.