Pumpkin Swiss Roll

JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

This pumpkin swiss roll is the fluffy, creamy roll cake of your dreams with a moist and airy pumpkin sponge cake, rolled with a whipped cream cheese filling, and topped with cinnamon spiced macarons. It's the perfect Fall dessert that's not too sweet or heavy!

Jump to:

Why you'll love this recipe
What is a swiss roll?
Ingredients
How to make a pumpkin swiss roll
Storage
Freezing
Tip & tricks
Frequently asked questions
More pumpkin recipes to try
Recipe

Swiss rolls are one of my favourite cakes from my childhood. Because of their mesmerizing swirly appearance, I always thought they were harder to make than they actually are. The good news is: they're not that hard and I didn't need any special tools other than my regular baking tray and my trusty hand mixer.

This pumpkin roll is so soft and moist, with the perfect cake-to-cream ratio. It's so light and airy, you'll come back for seconds. This pumpkin spice version is the perfect Fall dessert. It's not too sweet and the pumpkin flavour is not too strong if you're not a fan of pumpkin. The cream cheese filling is divine and goes perfectly with anything pumpkin.

This pumpkin swiss roll is beautiful served as is. The swirl design is the main attraction! You can also top it with extra cream cheese frosting and any garnishes you want to make it look even more bakery-worthy.

Why you'll love this recipe

You don't need any special pans. You can use a dedicated jelly roll pan but any regular baking tray with at least a 1" high rim around it will work unless you want to make an extra thick cake.
It's SO moist, fluffy, and creamy. Everything I look for in a roll cake.
Hellooo Fall! The pumpkin twist on this swiss roll makes it the perfect cake for the season. It has easily turned into one of my Fall staples.
It's not too sweet and doesn't feel too heavy. The sugar in the recipe is balanced out by the pumpkin flavour and cream cheese. Because of the airy nature of sponge cake and whipped cream, the cake is light and fluffy and a joy to eat.

What is a swiss roll?

A swiss roll is a cake that is baked as a flat rectangular or square sponge cake and then rolled up with a layer of whipped cream into a log shape. They are served by cutting the log up into thick slices. The light and airy sponge and cream filling are the perfect base for various fruit fillings and toppings.

Despite the name, swiss rolls don't actually have anything to do with Switzerland or the Swiss! It's not clear how this name came about but this kind of cake roll is believed to have originated somewhere in Central Europe. Swiss roll is the name that is most commonly used for this kind of roll cake in Asian countries, likely due to the transfer of the name through colonization.

Swiss rolls are also known as jelly rolls, roll cakes, log cakes, yule logs, or cream rolls. The fillings and flavours differ but they're basically the same idea.

Slices cut from a pumpkin swiss roll showing the swirl pattern

Ingredients

Eggs - Use large-sized eggs. Divide the egg yolks from the egg whites before you get started.
Granulated sugar - You'll need this to whip the egg whites into a meringue.
Pumpkin puree - Canned pumpkin puree works perfectly here but you can use homemade pumpkin puree as well if you have that.
Milk - Any dairy or non-dairy milk works in this recipe.
Vanilla extract - You'll use this for both the cake and the filling.
All-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon - Most of the flavour in pumpkin desserts actually comes from the spice blend rather than the actual pumpkin!
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Cream cheese - You can't have a pumpkin dessert without cream cheese! Use the cream cheese that comes in blocks, not in tubs. Let it soften to room temperature before use.
Powdered sugar
Whipping cream - This makes the cream cheese filling light and airy!

How to make a pumpkin swiss roll

Make the pumpkin sponge cake: In one bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla, milk, sifted flour, and pumpkin spices. In a separate bowl, whip up egg whites and sugar until it reaches stiff peaks to create a meringue. Fold the meringue into the pumpkin batter in the first bowl until it's airy and fluffy.

Spread batter into baking sheet and bake: This recipe makes enough batter to fill a regular half-sheet baking tray. It is quite big and the final roll will yield about 10 slices. If you're using a smaller jelly roll pan, you can potentially halve the recipe. As long as your layer of batter is about ½ inch thick, you're good to go. Bake it off and don't overbake.

Roll it up and let it cool: When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately remove it from the baking tray and roll the cake up with the parchment paper separating the layers. Let the cake cool completely before unrolling it.

Make the whipped cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and whipping cream together until it reaches stiff peaks.

Assemble your swiss roll: Unroll your cooled cake and spread a generous layer of whipped cream cheese on top. Roll it up again, without the parchment paper this time, and wrap with parchment paper and/or plastic wrap. Chill the swiss roll in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight before cutting into it.

Storage

Cover or wrap this pumpkin swiss roll with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing

Leftovers can be frozen by wrapping the slices well with plastic wrap and/or aluminium foil and freezing for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.

A slice of pumpkin swiss roll on a plate

Tip & tricks

Mix the meringue with the batter until there are no streaks. While you don't want to overmix and deflate all the air out of the meringue, you still want to mix it thoroughly enough. If the batter isn't properly mixed, the cake may rise unevenly.
Pre-roll the cake while it's still warm. Allowing the cake to cool in the rolled form prevents the cake from breaking when you roll it later on. Let it cool completely before adding the whipped cream filling though!
Chill the cake to set before slicing. The whipped cream filling needs several hours or overnight to set completely in the fridge. This is an essential step for the roll cake to keep its shape and to get clean slices.
Any browned "skin" on the surface of the cake can be gently rubbed off. This is purely optional. Most of this layer will come off when peeling away the parchment but any remaining pieces can be rubbed away.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best way to roll a pumpkin roll?

Always keeping a fresh sheet of parchment paper around the cake makes the rolling process easier and cleaner. Pre-roll the cake with the parchment paper. After adding the filling, roll the cake by lifting the end of the parchment paper and creating a tight roll at the end of the cake. As you roll the cake, use the parchment paper to guide it along and to help keep your hands from sticking to the cake.

Why does my swiss roll crack when I roll it?

Pre-rolling the cake straight out of the oven while it's still warm helps prevent swiss rolls from cracking. The swiss roll will be more likely to crack if the cake is too dense or too dry.

Can I use aluminium foil instead of parchment paper to roll a pumpkin roll?

You can use aluminium foil instead of parchment paper but my personal preference is parchment paper. Parchment paper is non-stick and allows the cake to breathe instead of trapping too much moisture inside, especially when the cake is still warm. Aluminium foil is less forgiving and might dent the outside of the cake if there are any creases or dents in the foil.