What’s your favorite thing about the Fall season? The beauty of changing leaves, bright orange pumpkins, boisterous hay rides, pots of yummy soup bubbling away on the stove? Fall is, I think, a season when we can all relax a little bit. A time to slow down from the frenzied, fun activities of summer and get ready for days snuggled up in front of a warm, cozy fireplace. Fall also means it’s time to switch gears in the kitchen. The cool, refreshing recipes of Spring and Summer give way to pots of stew, hearty casseroles and pumpkin!
This luscious Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Roll recipe is from the 1993 Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbook. I absolutely love Southern Living recipes and have the annual cookbooks all the way back to 1987. That’s lots of wonderful, tried and true recipes y’all. The people at Southern Living make sure that any recipe they publish is fabulous before it goes into their magazine. I trust them so much that I’d make a Southern Living recipe for company without even trying it out first. I can’t say that about every cookbook publisher, either. Not only do they publish fantastic cookbooks, but the monthly magazine is a staple in thousands, maybe millions, of southern households. This month’s edition is especially cool because it has a beautiful feature on Christy Jordan, a fellow southern food blogger. If you don’t know Christy, please go on over to her blog called Southern Plate and check out her recipes. She cooks just like your Mama and Grandmama. I promise.
This recipe is one of our family’s favorites. BeeBop asks for it every year during the holidays and I try to be sure to make it for him at least once a year. I recently made one to take to our neighborhood’s annual Oktoberfest party. It was a sensational hit!
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup biscuit mix (Bisquick)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped pecans
2-3 tblsp. powdered sugar
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 15x10x1 inch jellyroll pan. Line the pan with wax paper and then grease the wax paper. Set aside.
Beat the eggs with a mixer at high speed until they become thick and pale. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and beat until soft peaks form and the sugar dissolves (this takes 2 to 4 minutes).
In a separate small bowl, combine the biscuit mix and spices.
Fold the pumpkin into the egg and sugar mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture making sure the dry and wet mixtures are well incorporated.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and bake for 13 to 15 minutes.
Just before removing the cake from the oven, sift 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a rectangle on a cloth towel (do not use a terry cloth towel for this step). Remove the cake from the oven and immediately turn it out onto the sugared towel. Carefully peel off the wax paper. Starting at the narrow end, roll up the cake and towel together.
Place the rolled cake and towel on a wire rack seam side down and allow to cool completely.
When the cake is completely cool, beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until combined.
Carefully unroll the cake and spread with cream cheese mixture. Re-roll without the towel. Just a note – I have made this roll dozens of times and I’ve never made one that did not crack in several places (see the top left panel above?). When (not if) this happens to you, don’t panic. You’re going to go right ahead and fill it and re-roll it, dust it with powdered sugar and no one is going to know that the cake cracked, okay? Honestly, it works out perfectly in the end. Trust me.
See? All rolled up and looking great! Place the roll on a serving plate, seam side down, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Oh, and don’t worry about all that goop that sticks to your towel. Just a quick rinse in the kitchen sink will take care of every bit of it!
Enjoy!
Original recipe from Southern Living 1993 Annual Recipes All text and photographs on Never Enough Thyme are copyright protected. Please do not use any material from this site without obtaining prior permission. If you'd like to post this recipe on your site, please create your own original photographs and either re-write the recipe in your own words or link to this post.Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
–Recipe from Southern Living 1993 Annual Recipes
Other pumpkin dessert recipes you might like from around the internet:
- Suzanne’s Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie from Simply Recipes
- Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies from Annie’s Eats
- Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Low-Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Recipe Girl’s Pumpkin French Toast with Crunchy Cinnamon Crust
wendyvee says
atI used to have a co-worker whose wife made this. Hers was devine!
The Amish foodstands around Central PA typically have them too; but they don’t taste anywhere near as wonderful as hers did.
I might have to try your recipe this weekend :)
Lana says
atHope it turns out well for you. It’s one I’ve made countless times and never had a failure.
Brie says
atyum, look at all the cream cheese! looks divine!
Lana says
atYes, who doesn’t like cream cheese?
Cindy says
atThis looks wonderful :)
In our house we make pumpkin cookies. They have oatmeal in them and this is the only way I like oatmeal. We also throw in a cup of chocolate chips for that extra yum factor :). They are a cake like cookie so you feel like you are eating a slice of pumpkin cake instead of a cookie.
We end up making a couple of batches a year because they go so fast.
I think pumpkin stuff is one of may favorite parts of fall. Especially in Arizona where we don’t get the pretty fall colors.
Lana says
atYour pumpkin cookies sound delicious!
ceecee says
atThis looks delicious – Thanksgiving in Canada was last weekend but I may have to make this anyways! mmmm
ceecee
Dimah says
atSo beautiful , it looks scrumptious!
Cristina - TeenieCakes says
atI have a few straggle issues of Southern Living and have enjoyed them, but for some reason have never subscribed. Great step-by-step images and seasonably befitting this gorgeous pumpkin-roll. You’ve inspired me.
Maybe, just maybe I can make this successfully too! :)
LimeCake says
atwow yum! pumpkin and cream cheese make a killer combination!
Drick says
atwhat I like about the season? …all the goodness coming from kitchens like yours – looks wonderful – I too will trust a Southern Living recipe any day…
Cook is Good says
atIt look so good your cream cheese pumpkin roll. Very nice blog. Giorgia
Jenn from Much to My Delight says
atJust found your blog, and it makes me feel all cozy inside! Your recipes look fantastic, your design is charming, and it makes me feel like sitting on a front porch with a glass of iced tea! Loves it!
Lana says
atThanks so much, Jenn! Your comment really made my day.
Sues says
atThis looks SO good and I can totally see it being a huge hit at parties :)
Barbara @Modern Comfort Food says
atWhat a wonderful change of pace from regular layer cakes, and so perfect for fall. I’m sold on all things pumpkin, and just know I would love this!
Debbie says
atYou make it look so easy! Someone told me that my pumpkin whoopie pies tasted like a pumpkin roll, which I didn’t know what it was at the time. I have been too nervous to try rolling my cake, but I think i’ll try it now, thanks!
sensiblecooking says
atI recently made Pumpkin Gooey cake for my friends and it was a hit. They will love this even better. You make it sound so easy Nana.
Sharon says
atI’ve always wanted to make a pumpkin roll. Your directions and pictures make it look so easy. You’ve inspired me and I’m going to give it the old college try. I enjoy you blog very much.
Lana says
atThank you, Sharon. I hope you will give it a try. It’s nowhere near as difficult as you might think. Hope you’ll come back by the blog again.
elisabeth says
atHi Lana,
I’m so glad you became one of my Foodbuzz friends lately. I wanted to congratulate you on you beautiful creme cheese filled pumpkin roll, for making the Top 9. Love the easy recipe, and appreciate you sharing it!
Lana says
atThanks! Hope you’ll try the recipe.
Teri says
atYou’re killing me. Seriously….
Eileen says
atA friend of mine use to make these. The are absolutely delicious. I’ve always wanted to make one but I’ve always been leary about the rolling part. I have visions of it breaking in half. You make it look so easy!
eatgreek.net says
atit looks delicious! nice recipe! :D
Kristen says
atThis was one of the very first recipes I ever blogged and it was the first roll I’d ever made. So delicious. I think I’m going to have to make one of these again soon! I forgot how delicious it was!
the urban baker says
atI made one of these over the weekend and it was delish! i have been so fearful of rolled cakes in the past, however this was easier than i had expected!! yours looks totally scrumptious!
Lana says
atI’m so pleased that you tried it and liked it! It is easy, isn’t it?
Heather Davis says
atGreat dessert Lana! I love your first paragraph and the descriptions of autumn. I completely relate to all of it. I love the transition between summer and winter. It’s the winter bit I could do without. Will definitely have to give this one a go!
Lana says
atWhy, thank you, Heather. Lovely comment.
bitty says
atim a high school student in a cooking class of my own creation and i love the picture diagram. i was reading a cook book about how to make it but i didnt make any since but thanks to you i got an A!
Linda says
atI have just started making pumpkin rolls this year. Mine are turning out to be very moist almost to the point of being gooey, how can I prevent this from happening? (they are done when removed from the oven)
Miss P says
atHi there. Just an update. You know how frugal (cheap) I can be, right? Well, there was some leftover baked fruit, with Mama’s usual curry powder in it, etc. I just could not bear to throw it out. So, into the food processor, strained it in a sieve to remove excess moisture, and voila’, a new “cake roll.” It’s pretty good, even if I do say so myself.
Miss P
Lana says
atHmmm. Curried fruit cake roll…sounds delicious!
Angela says
atHi Lana :) This sounds delicious, and also fairly easy – especially since you’re using “Bisquick” mix. I’m wondering why you didn’t recommend using a ‘terrycloth’ dish towel. Since those are the only kind I own, I’ll probably need to purchase a ‘linen’ one. Would that work?
Lana Stuart says
atI tried terrycloth a few times a long time ago and I had cloth fibers all in my cake. If your terrycloth towel is very well worn, it probably would work, but I prefer a smoother textured one so that I don’t get lint all in my cake :-)