Easy Pumpkin Roll Using Cake Mix
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If you’re a fan of pumpkin desserts, this pumpkin roll recipe is one of those easy pumpkin recipes that everyone loves!
A pumpkin roll is a classic fall dessert that brings together the rich flavor of spiced pumpkin and a smooth, creamy filling, typically made from cream cheese. It’s a visually stunning dessert, with its spiral layers of cake and filling.
Making a pumpkin roll can be a little intimidating so we have taken the same simplified process we developed for our pecan pie cake roll and used cake mix to create the same delicious result without the fuss of making cake from scratch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spice cake mix – Similar to our pumpkin bundt cake this recipe starts with a 15.25 ounce box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix. You can use another brand but try to make sure the weight is about the same to ensure that it makes the same amount of cake.
- Eggs – We’re adding extra eggs to this cake recipe to make it fluffier and more flexible so it can be rolled up.
- Canned Pumpkin – This should be JUST canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie mix!
- Powdered sugar – You’ll use this for the frosting and to powder the cloth you roll your cake up with. You can also sprinkle some on the roll before serving.
- Cream cheese – Make sure you use a block of cream cheese. Whipped or spreadable cream cheese will not give you the same results.
- Unsalted butter – This is whipped together with the sugar and cream cheese to make a smooth frosting.
- Vanilla extract – A little vanilla added to the frosting enhances the flavor.
What is a Jelly Roll Pan
Jelly roll pans are baking pans that are 15 inches x 10 inches and have 1-inch sides. The raised sides allow the cake to rise without overflowing from the pan.
We suggest this jelly roll pan from Chicago Metallic. It is made with heavy duty material so it doesn’t warp in the oven when baking.
How to Make a Pumpkin Roll with Cake Mix
This simple recipe will make 2 cake rolls. If you only need one, you can wrap and freeze the second one and serve it at your next party. This is perfect if you’re making a pumpkin roll as a fall treat and want to serve it again as part of your Thankgiving dinner!
Step 1 – Prepare the oven and pans. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 jelly roll pans with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Step 2 – Whisk the eggs. Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using an electric mixer whisk on high for approximately 6 minutes until they are fluffy and turn a light yellow color. This step adds air to the eggs which will help make a very light, fluffy cake.
Step 3 – Make batter. Add the cake mix and canned pumpkin to the eggs and whisk on medium for 30 seconds then use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the eggs. Continue to whisk for 1 more minute.
Step 4 – Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared jelly roll pans. Place the pans in the oven side-by-side and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake lightly bounces back after pressing in the center.
Step 5 – Roll the cake. While the cake bakes lay out two clean dish towels and lightly dust them with the powdered sugar. This keeps the cake from sticking to the towels.
When the cake has finished baking remove the pans from the oven and very carefully flip each pan over onto the kitchen towel. Peel off the parchment paper.
Starting with a short side of the cake roll the cake up in the towel. Yes the towel gets rolled up into the cake! Let the cake cool completely like that.
Step 6 – Make the frosting. In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and powdered sugar. Using the whisk attachment, mix on medium speed until fully creamed together. Add the softened cream cheese and continue to mix on medium-high for approximately 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing for 30 seconds until fully incorporated.
Import Tip!! To ensure you get the best results, make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before using.
Step 7 – Fill the pumpkin roll. When the frosting is ready, gently unroll the cake. Spread the frosting evenly over the cake. You will use approximately 2.5 cups of frosting per cake roll. Once filled, gently roll the cake back up.
Step 8 – Serve. Cut the ends off the cake to give it a neat appearance, and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top, then serve the cake immediately. If you are storing it for later you can skip the powdered sugar on top until you are ready to serve. Wrap it up as described below and store it for later.
Cracks Happen
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try or how many times we’ve made a pumpkin roll, we still get cracks when we roll up the cake.
This most often happens when the cake gets slightly overcooked, which means it isn’t quite as flexible. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to figure out the perfect cook time in your oven.
The good news is that the pumpkin roll tastes just as amazing, even if it cracks a little. We recommend rolling it up and wrapping it with some plastic wrap, then popping it in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and no one will ever know!!
Benefits of Using Cake Mix for Pumpkin Rolls
While homemade cakes are great, using a cake mix can significantly cut down on the ingredients you need to purchase and prep time without sacrificing flavor. Here are some of the benefits of using a cake mix:
- Convenience: Cake mixes already have the right balance of dry ingredients, saving you time on measuring and mixing.
- Less Waste: There are a lot of leftover ingredients when you’re baking a homemade cake. Flour, baking powder, and baking soda all have to be stored and used within a certain time to be at their best. Using a box of cake mix gives you just enough dry ingredients to make your cake with no leftovers!
- Beginner-Friendly: If you’re new to baking, using a cake mix takes away some of the guesswork and makes the process more approachable.
Make it Ahead of Time
You can make a pumpkin roll ahead of time. Just follow all of the instructions in the recipe and then, when it is done, wrap it in plastic wrap followed by 2 layers of aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to serve the cake remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit out on a platter on the counter for 1 hour to come to room temperature.
If you have frozen your cake, you’ll want to let it thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator and then let it sit out at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
How to Store It
Once baked and filled you can let the pumpkin roll sit out for up to 4 hours. After that it should be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy your leftovers. You can also make the pumpkin roll ahead of time and freeze or freeze any leftover cake prefer.
Refrigerator – Wrap the cake in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
Freezer – Wrap the cake in plastic wrap followed by 2 layers of aluminum foil and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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Pumpkin Roll Using Cake Mix
Ingredients
Cake Roll:
- 6 large eggs
- 15.25 ounce Box Spice cake mix
- 15 ounce Canned Pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix!
- 1/2 cup Powdered sugar, for powdering the cloth you'll roll the cake in
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces Cream cheese, room temp
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 cups Powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake Roll
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line 2 jelly roll pans with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using an electric mixer whisk on high for approximately 6 minutes until they are fluffy and turn a light yellow color.
- Add the cake mix and canned pumpkin to the eggs and whisk on medium for 30 seconds then use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the eggs. Continue to whisk for 1 more minute.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared jelly roll pans.
- Place the pans in the oven side-by-side and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake lightly bounces back after pressing in the center.
- While the cake bakes lay out two clean dish towels and lightly dust them with the powdered sugar. This keeps the cake from sticking to the towels.
- When the cake has finished baking remove the pans from the oven and very carefully flip each pan over onto the kitchen towel. Peel off the parchment paper.
- Starting with a short side of the cake roll the cake up in the towel. Let the cake cool completely like that.
- While the cake roll cools, make your cream cheese frosting (see instructions below).
- When the frosting is ready and the cake is completely cooled gently unroll the cake. Spread the frosting evenly over cake making it approximately ¼ inch thick. Make sure to leave a little space around the edges.
- Once filled gently roll the cake back up.
- Lightly dust the cake in a little more powdered sugar and then cut the ends off of the cake to give it a neat appearance.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixture and, using the paddle attachment, mix until it is light and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar to the butter and continue to mix until smooth.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the sugar-butter mixture and mix on medium until well combined. You may need to pause after a minute and use a spatula to scrape the side back down into the bowl to ensure it all mixes together well.
- Add the vanilla extract and continue to mix for 30 seconds until fully incorporated.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
Nutrition
Can this be made without the pumpkin?
Like a spice cake and the filling.
Yes! Check out the instructions for our pecan pie cake roll here. The batter doesn’t use any pumpkin. You could easily substitute a slice cake mix https://www.homemadeinterest.com/pecan-pie-cake-roll-2/