The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake Roll with its intricate pumpkin pattern is not only a delicious dessert but also a visually stunning centerpiece for any fall gathering. With its moist pumpkin cake and creamy filling, it's sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it.
Instructions
To make this pumpkin roll, start by preparing your sheet pan. Measure and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your half sheet pan. Then, lightly spray a pan and lay the parchment on top and press to adhere. Spray the parchment and sides of the pan well with pan spray.
Start by mixing three eggs in a stand mixer on medium speed until they are lighter in color and slightly thickened. While the eggs are mixing, measure ? cup pumpkin puree. Be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. Add the pumpkin to the bowl and mix until well combined. Measure 1 ? cup of spiced cake mix and gradually add to the bowl with the mixer on low speed. Mix the batter for about 1 minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add a small amount, about ¼ cup of batter to a bowl to color. We used red and purple gel food color to color the batter. Add this to a pastry bag and set aside. Pour the remaining batter onto your prepared baking sheet and spread smooth with a spatula. Make sure the batter is smoothed all the way to the edge of the pan. Cut a small hole in the tip of the pastry bag and pipe three segments for each pumpkin. When piping these pumpkins, make sure to pipe them close to one edge of the pan as this will be the top of the rolled cake. Color the remaining batter from the pastry bag with brown gel food color and add the stem to the pumpkins.
Bake this cake at 375 for 10-14 minutes or until the cake bounces back when gently pressed. Be sure to have a clean dish towel ready to go when the cake is done baking. Lay your dish towel on your work surface then flip the cake upside-down immediately after the cake is done baking. Keep in mind where the pumpkins are because you will want these to be on the outside of the roll. Dust the cake with powdered sugar to prevent the towel from sticking to the cake. Roll the cake and the towel together starting with the side that does not have pumpkins and set aside to cool. While the cake is cooling, mix your buttercream or cream cheese frosting. If you are using homemade or premade vanilla buttercream, add 1-2 teaspoons of cream cheese emulsion to 1 ½ to 2 cups of frosting.
Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll it. Spread the frosting in a thin, even layer on the back side of the cake roll. If there are any cracks in your cake, be careful when smoothing the frosting. These cracks will be hidden in the center of the roll. Roll the cake again, this time without the towel and place on a long, rectangle board. Slice this cake and serve it within two hours or wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
