Make-Ahead Pumpkin Roll Recipe

A close-up view of an Easy Pumpkin Roll cake with cream cheese filling, showing the spiral pattern—perfect for a make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert.

This isn’t just any pumpkin roll—it’s the best make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving. Soft pumpkin cake, creamy filling, and a swirl that stays picture-perfect even after freezing. It’s your new secret to getting dessert done early… and still earning all the compliments on the big day.

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Cooling Time 2

Total Time: 2 50

Servings: 16

Equipment

1 10×15-inch baking pan

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake Layer

¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
3 large eggs beaten
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Filling

1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, line it with parchment (leaving a little overhang), and lightly grease the parchment.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Next, whisk the eggs, sugar, and pumpkin in a separate bowl until smooth.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until the batter comes together, then spread it evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, and immediately lift the hot cake out of the pan and gently roll it up—parchment and all—starting from a short end; place the roll on a wire rack to cool completely.
Beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sifted powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy while the cake cools.
Carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread the filling in a thin, even layer (leaving a border), re-roll it without the parchment, and wrap it in plastic wrap.
To freeze, wrap the finished roll tightly in plastic wrap and foil, freeze it flat, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.

Heather's Helpful Hints

Roll the cake while it’s warm, not fully cooled — most cracking happens when the cake sits too long before rolling and loses its flexibility.
Let the rolled cake cool completely before adding the filling — many bakers end up with slipping or “melting” filling because the cake was still warm.
If your cake turns sticky or “sweaty,” it’s usually trapped steam — cooling the roll on a wire rack helps airflow and prevents moisture buildup.
Use a 10×15 jelly-roll pan for the right thickness — a 9×13 pan makes the cake too thick, and it’s one of the top reasons people report cracking in the comments.
Lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment overhang — several bakers mention the cake tearing if they try to flip it or pry it out.
Go easy on the filling — too much filling causes it to squish out the sides when re-rolling, which is another very common issue.

Nutrition

This recipe was found on My Sweet Precision. Thank you for visiting!