Pumpkin Roll with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling

I’ve been waiting to share a classic pumpkin roll recipe and finally have a recipe that’s worthy to be shared on ABK! Our Pumpkin Roll with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling is a one-of-a-kind cake roll that is the perfect holiday dessert.

Bring on the Pumpkin!

I’m a HUGE fan of pumpkin recipes. Almost anything pumpkin is a win in my book. Pumpkin cake, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread, even pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls.

Years ago, I made a cake roll. Or two, or three. Rolling a cake into a towel seemed a little too complicated to me. It stuck to the towel, or broke in half…then, what to do with a kitchen towel covered in powdered sugar and cake crumbs?!

Parchment Paper is a “Wonder”

Parchment to the rescue! Parchment today is as game changing as Wonder Bread in the early 1900’s. Wonder Bread was exactly that, a WONDER, after women had made bread for years at home year ’round. Imagine going to the store and buying a loaf of pre-sliced, light-as-a-feather bread, all packaged and ready to go! No baking. No mess. Life was good.

Parchment makes everything so much easier! In this case, using a piece of parchment paper to line the pan, then rolling the parchment up while the cake is still warm makes SO MUCH SENSE. No towel needed!

Brown Butter Basics

Each cake slice is filled with a brown butter and sweet cream cheese filling. Brown butter sets this cake roll apart from all of the other pumpkin roll recipes you’ve tried in the past!

Brown butter is easy to make. Just place the butter in a pan, cook on medium heat, watch the butter melt, foam, then turn golden brown. As soon as the butter changes color, remove from the heat as it will continue to cook in the heated pan.

Make AHead!

Our Pumpkin Roll with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for convenience. It’s easy to prepare ahead, refrigerate, slice and serve. This recipe is a lifesaver at holiday time!

Can you freeze a pumpkin roll? Yes! Cover the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before serving. 

I also love the way this dessert is easy to make and to transport. Just roll, refrigerate, and slice when served, or serve on individual plates as shown. 

Why I love Pumpkin Roll with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling

• It’s the best combination of pumpkin and cake
• The texture is light and moist
• Brown butter and cream cheese are delicious together!
• The recipe makes 12 slices and can be doubled
• It can be made in advance
• It’s a crowd pleaser that everyone loves

How to Make the Perfect Pumpkin Roll

• Make the cake, bake, roll while hot, and set aside
• Prepare the filling while the cake is cooling
• Carefully unroll the cake
• Gently spread the filling on top of the cake
• Re-roll and cover with plastic wrap
• Refrigerate for 1 hour
• Dust with powdered sugar if desired
• Slice and serve

I love hearing from you! Drop a comment below if you make this delicious dessert 🙂

Pumpkin Roll with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Author: Si Foster

Servings: 14

Ingredients 

PUMPKIN CAKE

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

FILLING

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

PUMPKIN CAKE

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 12×17-inch half sheet jelly roll pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper, making sure it comes above all 4 sides of the pan. Spray the top of the parchment. A pre-cut liner may also be used.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin; mix until combined.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Mix on low until combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly, making sure the batter reaches all corners of the pan.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes. The cake should spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
• Lift the parchment paper and transfer the cake from the pan to a countertop. Without removing the parchment, gently roll the cake into a log shape, beginning at the short end of the cake. It is important to roll the cake while it is still very warm.
• Place on a cooling rack, seam side down, and allow to cool completely before filling, about 1 1/2 hours.
• While the cake is cooling, make the filling.

FILLING

• In a small saucepan, cook butter over medium heat until it melts and begins to foam. Continue to heat the butter until it turns a golden color and brown bits form on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. It should cool to a soft solid, like softened butter.
• Beat brown butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar on low to medium speed. When combined, mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes, until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

ASSEMBLY

• Unroll the cake and spread the filling evenly to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
• Re-roll the cake, removing the parchment as you roll. Try to keep the roll fairly tight. Don’t worry if some of the filling spills out of the sides; it will shift and spread as the cake is rolled.
• Wrap the completed pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
• When ready to serve, remove from plastic wrap, dust the top of the pumpkin roll with powdered sugar, and cut into 1-inch slices.

Notes

Brown butter can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The filling can also be made ahead of time.

This filling is also delicious when the butter is not browned.

To add a bit of flavor and crunch, sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of the filling before rolling.

If using a standard 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, the cake will be thicker and baking time should be increased to about 18-20 minutes.

Tip for lining the pan: measure the parchment paper a few inches larger than your pan size. I used a pre-cut sheet that was 15×21 inches. Lay the parchment on the counter, centered underneath the baking sheet. Cut the parchment diagonally on all 4 corners from the outer corner of the paper to the corner edge of the jelly roll pan. Press the parchment into the pan. The diagonal cuts will allow the parchment to lay evenly in the pan. 

An offset spatula is a great tool for evenly spreading the cake batter in the pan as well as spreading the filling on the cake.