The Pumpkin Swiss Roll
October 5, 2018
“Normally I never pat myself on the back but damn I am proud of this pumpkin swissroll!”
Normally I never pat myself on the back, but damn, I am proud of this. The cut face shows a tight, even spiral of spiced pumpkin sponge and white cream filling, no cracks, no gaps, with a dusting of powdered sugar on the outside.
After my very public struggle with roll cakes on the blog, this is the payoff. A good roll has filling spread to an even thickness and stopped short of the far edge, a first turn made tight to form the core, and steady pressure through the rest. Pumpkin helps: the purée makes a moist, flexible sponge that forgives a little more than a plain one. Cream cheese filling is the American classic.
This article is written in Corey’s voice for this tribute site, based on his captions and blog. His own words are the quotes above.
Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
The pumpkin roll is an American holiday standard: a thin spiced pumpkin sponge rolled around tangy cream cheese filling. It became a fixture of Thanksgiving tables in the later twentieth century, helped along by the recipe printed by Libby's, the canned pumpkin brand. It slices into tidy spirals and keeps well, which makes it a natural make-ahead dessert.
Ingredients
Pumpkin sponge
- 95 g all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 160 g pure pumpkin purée, not pie filling (2/3 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for the towel, about 30 g (1/4 cup)
Cream cheese filling
- 225 g full-fat block cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
- 85 g unsalted butter, softened (6 Tbsp)
- 120 g powdered sugar, sifted (1 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 10 x 15-inch (25 x 38 cm) jelly roll pan, line it with parchment, and grease the parchment. Lay out a thin, lint-free kitchen towel and dust it generously with powdered sugar.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
- Beat the eggs and granulated sugar on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla on low, then fold in the dry ingredients just until no flour shows.
- Spread the batter evenly into the pan, pushing it into the corners. Bake 13-15 minutes, until the center springs back when pressed lightly.
- Immediately loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto the sugared towel. Peel off the parchment, and roll the cake and towel together from a short side. Cool completely on a rack, seam side down, about 1 hour.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt until fluffy.
- Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a 3/4-inch (2 cm) border on the far edge, and roll it back up without the towel.
- Wrap tightly in plastic film and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Trim the ends, dust with powdered sugar and slice with a serrated knife.
Chef’s notes
- Blot very wet pumpkin purée on paper towels before measuring. Excess water makes the sponge gummy and sticky on the surface.
- A sponge that sticks to the towel was under-dusted. Use more powdered sugar than seems necessary, or roll in a fresh sheet of parchment instead.
- Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that no amount of beating removes. Let it and the butter soften fully to about 20°C (68°F) first.
- The wrapped roll keeps 3 days in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer. Slice it while still slightly frozen for the cleanest spirals.
Drawn from the methods of
- Libby's, Pumpkin Roll (Nestlé)
- King Arthur Baking Company
- Tish Boyle, The Cake Book (2006)
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
