Holiday Baking: Make the Perfect Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin roll is a traditional must-have during the holidays. My grandma was an amazing baker who made a variety of sweet treats throughout the year. However, my favorite baking season was always the holidays because she would make all the pies and, of course, two of my top favorite desserts: the pumpkin roll and the marshmallow roll. The pumpkin roll is a moist and fluffy cake with a cream cheese center.

The Pumpkin Roll Recipe

I am so lucky to have all of my grandmother's recipes. It's so much fun to look at them and to try to make many of them. Plus, no one writes in cursive anymore. Heck, I don't think I even know if I could!!!!

My mom and I are not bakers. When my mom was growing up, she spent her time outside with my Grandpa and the horses; she didn't take an interest in baking. So, now that the two of us are going through some of the older recipes and trying to make them, we're running into a few funny challenges.

Grandma's Recipes

First, some of my Grandma's recipes are difficult to follow. She was such a good baker that her recipes were written for someone who already knew how to bake. For example, one recipe starts with a first step that says, "Make the pie dough, up to the rolling out step." Huh? For my grandma, she could whip up the pie dough with no problem and not have to measure anything. For me, I know there is flour and possibly butter, but I have no idea what a rolling-out step is. 😆

Also, sometimes, the recipes say to "add flour" without specifying the exact amount. My personal favorite is the recipe that instructs me to "bake until done," without mentioning the oven temperature, the time needed, or how to determine when it's done.

I so wish I could talk to my Grandma and ask all the questions about what something is, or when to add such and such in, and what this or that should look like. I would love to hear her laugh at my silly questions and pretend to like my attempts to bake something she could put together without even referencing a recipe card. She would say she liked what I made, and I would say hers' was so much better...because it truly was. Then, I can hear my Grandpa laughing and making me laugh with a joke about the whole thing. I miss them both so much!

How to make this traditional pumpkin roll

There is nothing better than making a dish that you know your Grandma made! This is one of those recipes that looks like it takes hours to make, but it's actually really quick and easy! This dish is perfect for a nice dinner party or as a fun dessert in the evening while enjoying your favorite TV show. Hey, I used to make this for the office holiday party. It is gone before the main dishes. A few times I didn't even get a piece of my own cake!!!

Preheat the Oven

First, Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make the cake, mix together the Pumpkin, eggs, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. TIP: Leave the edges of the waxed paper so it is easily lifted out of the pan when it is cooked.

Make the Cake

Spread the cake mixture onto the lined baking sheet. TIP: Once the cake mixture is evenly spread over the baking sheet, pick up the baking sheet about a half inch and gently drop it on the counter. This will remove any air bubbles that might be in the batter. Don't be like my mom and drop it from several inches. Yes, the batter will splatter out if it is too high! 😆 (I told you, we are not bakers!)

Place it in the preheated oven (375 degrees) and bake it for 10 minutes. TIP: to ensure the cake is fully baked, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean without any cake sticking to it, the cake is done.

While baking the cake, prepare the cream cheese filling by mixing cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until smooth. This process takes only a few minutes. Set the filling aside until the cake has cooled.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for a minute or so. Cut a piece of waxed paper that is slightly larger than the cake. Sprinkle the wax paper with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Turn the cake onto prepared waxed paper. At this point, the bottom of the cake is now the top. Carefully peel off the "cooked" waxed paper and discard it. Sprinkle some additional powdered sugar on the cake.

Roll

Using the wax paper, gently roll the cake and let it cool.

After the cake has cooled, roll it back out and spread on the cream cheese mixture.

Gently lift the wax paper and start to roll the cake. Peel back the wax paper as you're rolling the cake. Roll the cake as tight as possible without breaking the cake.

Cut and Enjoy!!!