Easy Pecan Cream Cheese Pumpkin Roll
Ahhhh fall. There is no other season that compares to fall with its gorgeous yellows, vibrant oranges, rich reds, and earthy browns. Beautiful confetti leaves falling from the sky as Mother Nature celebrates yet another harvest year. Fall is nature’s last glorious hoorah before winter’s white chill sets in and we are reset with a blank slate in the Virginias. To some it is a sign of the year coming to an end, but to me it is a celebration of all that has been and is a time to reflect on the many blessings we have been given. What better way to celebrate fall’s arrival than this easy pecan cream cheese pumpkin roll?
There’s no season like fall
There is something so soothing and relaxing about fall. It is a reminder for me to slow down and enjoy the remnants of warm weather with my family before we find ourselves cooped up in the house for the duration of a long cold winter. The crisp mornings of fall bring out cozy sweaters and blankets, giving way to warm afternoons that beg for long walks in the woods, ultimately leading us into evenings best spent by a crackling fire with a warm apple cider. Fall is beyond any doubt my favorite time of year.
One of the things that I love most about fall is pumpkins. I love the pop of color they bring to home decor, the fun memories they invoke, and the delicious treats they can be made into. I am a huge pumpkin dessert fan, from pie to bread to cookies and everything in between. Perhaps it is the fact that it stands up so well to spices that makes it one of my favorites, or it could just be that it’s just so darn delicious.
This is the time of year that we love to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out the perfect pumpkins for carving and decorating. We usually go to a local farm just down the road that has them sitting out in little piles by type, and let the kiddos pick out their favorites for carving. I usually choose a few smaller pumpkins and gourds to decorate with, and we head back to the house where they end up sitting for a few weekends before we finally get the chance to carve them with the kids. Usually about the weekend before Halloween. That is what this weekend is all about, carving pumpkins and the kids are so excited!
Pumpkin- the flavor of fall
To get us in the pumpkin carving mood there has to be a pumpkin dessert. When I think of fall pumpkin desserts the first thing that pops into my mind is a pumpkin roll. When I was a kid, my momma used to bake pumpkin rolls for Thanksgivings spent at my mawmaw’s house, and I just knew it had to be the hardest thing to ever make. How did she get that perfect log shape filled with all that creamy goodness? I later found out that it is one of the easiest and quickest pumpkin desserts to make. With minimal ingredients and a speedy bake time, it is really one of the best last minute party desserts.
In this pumpkin roll recipe you will find a slight departure from the traditional smooth creamy center. This cake boasts a moist spiced pumpkin sponge cake, filled with a delicious pecan cream cheese filling. My husband is not typically a dessert man, but really enjoys this pumpkin roll for its nutty taste and texture. Before you start, I recommend making sure your butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature. This will ensure that everything comes together easily.
Step 1
Step one of this delicious cake is to prepare your pan. I have found the easiest way to do this is to use a cooking spray on a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan then take a piece of parchment a little longer than the pan itself and press into the pan. This will prevent sticking and will make removal super easy. Then you want to spray the parchment surface to enable the cake to easily pull away before rolling. Once that is all set, you can put the pan aside and preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you begin your cake.
This cake is a moist and light spiced pumpkin sponge cake that will impart great pumpkin flavor and compliment the delicious filling we will make later on. The first thing you want to do is mix all of your dry ingredients together. This will help evenly distribute the flour and spices when you mix the remaining ingredients together. You will mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, clove, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Now for your wet ingredients. In your mixing bowl add your room temperature eggs and beat on high until light in color. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes to achieve. You will then need to reduce the speed to about half and slowly add your sugar. Once it is all added, increase your speed back to high and beat for about 2 minutes. Reducing your speed again, add in your pumpkin puree and mix until fully combined. Remove your bowl from the mixer and add in your dry ingredients that were set aside from earlier. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth until even. Bake for 13 minutes at 375 on the middle rack until the cake springs back at a light touch.
Step 3
Once the cake is done, you will need to get it out of the pan carefully to avoid overcooking from the residual heat. Grab a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment and lightly dust with powdered sugar (this will prevent your cake from sticking). Carefully grab the end of the wax paper and pull the cake from the jelly roll pan and gently flip it out onto the waiting paper or towel. While the cake is still warm, gently peel the paper way from your cake and discard. Slowly roll up cake and towel together starting from the narrow end and cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 4
While the cake cools, it is time to make the filling. I typically use my hand mixer for this step because I feel like it is less clean up, but you can certainly use a stand mixer. In a small mixing bowl add cream cheese and butter and beat on high speed until combined and smooth then slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Fold in finely chopped pecans.
Step 5
Once the cake has cooled completely, gently unroll the cake and towel. Spread your cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake and reroll the cake. Dust the cake lightly with powdered sugar and wrap in plastic wrap. This cake can be refrigerated for up to a week and still remain delicious, but we all know it will not last that long.
Enjoy!
The pecans in the filling really sets this cake apart from most other rolls I have had. The finely chopped pecans add a lightly crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the filling which compliments the spices in the soft sponge cake. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as ours!
Pecan Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
- 15 x 10 Jelly Roll Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Clove
- ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ tsp Salt
- 3 Eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
Filling
- 8 oz Block Cream Cheese softened
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar sifted
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a 15×10 jelly roll pan with non stick spray and line with wax paper. Spray wax paper with non stick spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine dry ingredient and set aside.
- With and electric mixer, beat eggs until light in color. Slowly add in sugar and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add in pumpkin and beat on medium until fully combined.
- Add in dry ingredients and fold in by hand until well combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan
- Bake cake at 375°F for 13 minutes until cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Immediately loosed the cake from pan and turn out onto a towel lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off wax paper and gently roll the cake and towel up together starting at the narrow end. Allow to cool completely.
For Filling
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Reduce speed and beat in sugar, salt, and vanilla.
- Once combined, fold in pecans by hand ensuring even distribution of nuts.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, carefully unroll from towel. Spread with cream cheese mixture. Reroll the cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
