Pumpkin Roll recipe for Beginners

For years I've wanted to attempt making a pumpkin roll but the process seemed a bit intimidating. Rolling cake, how's that work! 

This Sunday I decided to tackle the task and either I was going to end up with a roll or a gigantic mess (I got both). 

The recipe I used I found on YouTube from a dear sweet woman I watch weekly for her makeup reviews (Kristin Gehm HERE) she also has a vlog channel (Gehm Time HERE) that's where the pumpkin roll recipe is located. This is the link directly to her pumpkin roll video HERE

I watched video after video and read recipe after recipe. There was serious Pumpkin Roll recipe research going on over here. Kristin's recipe was perfect for me - fewer ingredients than the others I read, and not crazy intimidating. I made a list, and the hubs graciously made a trip to the local grocery and gathered the necessities, including a jelly roll pan. Let me stress - do not roll if you do not have a 15 x 10 x 1 jelly roll pan. Starting with the correct tools and ingredients is key. 

Listed are step by step pictures of the process and ingredients.

	Now if you are looking for a recipe that's organic or healthy, stop reading now! I used Crisco to grease the pan and canned pumpkin!
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FIRST - preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then grease your 15 x 10 x 1 jelly roll pan (my pan is the best Walmart had to offer...keeping it fancy). I used Crisco and wiped it all over the pan with a paper towel. During my research, several different opinions were had on this part - Crisco, Pam (spray), or none at all.  The majority were advocating for Crisco - advocating...who am I! Seriously, use the grease! 

After you have greased up the jelly roll pan, rip out a piece of wax paper about four inches longer than your pan. You want about two inches of wax paper hanging over each side of pan. 

Okay, now on to the actual ingredients. Take 3 eggs and add to mixer.

Beat the eggs 

Then you'll need 2/3 cups of 100% Pure Pumpkin (DO NO USE pumpkin pie filling). I'm not all about cleaning a pumpkin and scooping it all out and blah, blah, blah...I am all about opening the can. That's my jam!  Side note: one can is enough to make two pumpkin rolls, just sayin.  Back to recipe, add pumpkin to eggs and mix. 

Throw in 1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda (I may have screwed this part up the first time...oops). 

 Wouldn't be a pumpkin roll without cinnamon - add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (a little more if your a fan). 

Finally, the last ingredient to the cake mix - FLOUR, 3/4 cup.  Mix it all up.

Pour into your pan and spread around as evenly as possible. 

Place in oven (375 degrees) 

Bake for 12-15 minutes. It's done when springy to the touch, my oven only needed 13 minutes. While cake is in oven, spread a tea towel, flour sack, whatever towel you want to roll in on the counter and sprinkle (heavily) with powdered sugar.

When cake is done, immediately flip pan onto towel with powdered sugar. Sugar will puff up and get everywhere.

Remove pan.

Carefully and slowly remove wax paper. Be patient, it comes off easy but don't rip it off, you'll take chucks out of your cake and it will SUCK!

Once wax paper is off, I folded the towel onto the cake a little bit (see picture above) and then rolled it up.

It's not a race no need to hurry.

All rolled up, place with the seem of the cake (the part you made when it got to the end of the roll) to the bottom and let cool. This is the longest process of the whole recipe - cooling. It's boring, no one wants to wait. You must wait for the cake to cool, otherwise it will not work and be a big damn mess and waste of time. Stick it in refrigerator and wait at least an hour. You can make night before and fill the next day.

While cake is cooling or whenever you  have a minute, make the filling. Take 8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature and start to blend.

Throw in 2 tabkespoons of softened butter. Side note: I took out the cream cheese and butter when I started the cake and it was soft when I was ready to make filling.

When butter and cream cheese is mixed up throw in 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Turn mixer off and add 1 cup powdered sugar. 

I dampen a flour sack towel and put it over my mixer before turning on with powdered sugar in bowl. You don't have to do this but it keeps powdered sugar from flying all over your kitchen.  Mix powdered sugar until all is blended. Set aside till cake is completely cool.

After cake is cool, unroll. Slowly, no need to rush at this point.

Keep unrolling

See the curved end.

Add filing.

Spread evenly as possible.

And roll back up. Again no need to rush. Patience is the key to this recipe.

Keep rolling. 

The end - or ugly seam, place it on bottom and no one sees it.

Add to a pretty plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Or like me, have the lid fly off and dump a ton of powdered sugar on the end.

Slice and serve.

Apparently you can make and wrap in cling wrap and freeze, I can not comment on success of that. My family ate it immediately, but Kristin and I have spoke and she says, "it freezes beautifully."

I would recommend wrapping and refrigerating what is left over. 

Ingredients for Cake- 

3 eggs

2/3 cups 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

3/4 cup Flour

Ingredients for Filling -

8 ounces of Cream Cheese, softened 

2 tablespoons Butter, softened 

3/4 teaspoon Vanilla

1 cup Powdered Sugar