This gluten-free pumpkin roll recipe is a must make this fall and winter season! The cake is soft, moist and gently spiced with a light and airy whipped cream cheese frosting tucked inside.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll

After a solid month of baking pumpkin roll after pumpkin roll I am now happy to finally come here to share this recipe along with everything I tried that worked and everything that didn’t work.

But first, what’s to love about this recipe?

• Whipped Filling: Instead of butter, this recipe uses heavy cream (whipping cream in the UK). It’s light, silky and needs less sugar than typical cream cheese frostings.
• Simple Pumpkin Sponge Cake: The cake is made up of simple ingredients. You can mix it by hand in a couple of bowls in very little time.
• Delicious Flavor: The warm seasonal spices paired with the tangy creamy cheese frosting makes for a mouthwatering combination.

Simplified Steps

Step 1: Whisk together the eggs & sugars until frothy then mix in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract.

Step 2: Sift and whisk the flour, gum, baking soda, salt and spices then add to the wet ingredients.

Step 4: Mix together into thick, lump-free cake batter. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get everything evenly mixed in.

Step 5: Pour the batter into a prepared jelly roll pan. Spread out in an even layer – make sure to spread all the way to the edges and bake.

Flip & Roll

• Prep: While the cake bakes, place a clean tea towel out on a flat surface and lightly dust with powdered sugar. The sugar helps keep the cake from sticking to the towel.
• Flip: Right after you take the pan out of the oven, while it’s warm, flip the pan out on to the prepared tea towel.
• Roll: You are going to roll from one short end of the cake to the other. Starting at one end, use the towel to help you roll the cake into a log.
  • It’s important to roll the cake while it’s still warm. The cake will roll easier without breaking and it helps create the shape you need later when filling.

Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

1. Beat cream cheese and sugar on high a few minutes until thick and creamy.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix again to combine.
3. Add the heavy cream/whipping cream and beat another 1-2 minutes until you get a thick and airy frosting.

Ingredient Notes:

• White Sugar: Instead of the usual powdered sugar in frosting, use granulated white sugar. It will dissolve into the cream cheese as it mixes and saves you the hassle of sifting your sugar.
• Cream Cheese: Ideally you want to use cream cheese in block form, not the spreadable cheese in tubs. The tub cheese is softer than block cheese as it contains more water which can easily make for a runny frosting. If you can’t find block cream cheese (I can’t in the UK!) try your best to drain and blot out as much excess moisture as you can before using.
  • If you can’t find block cream cheese, try this with my whipped mascarpone frosting instead! It’s quite similar to the cream cheese frosting but made with mascarpone cheese.
• Heavy Cream/Whipping Cream: Make sure to use chilled cream (and cream cheese) to ensure things whip up quickly and easily.

Fill & Chill

When you’re ready, unroll the cake to add the filling. Spread the frosting evenly over the surface.

Try to leave about half an inch around the sides unfrosted. As you roll the cake back up, some of the filling will push out to the sides. If your frost too generously, it will spill out the sides and make a mess.

Wrap up the rolled cake in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about an hour to chill and firm up the filling.

Final Tips

• Grease the pan well to ensure the cake easily comes out of the pan.
• Flip quickly and with confidence. It may feel unintuitive, but the slower you go the more likely your cake will fall out of the pan where you don’t want it.
• Roll your cake while it’s warm to reduce the chance of cracking.
• Use a thin kitchen towel to roll. Towels yield to the cake while paper does not.
• Use cold ingredients to make the filling.

More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes:

• Gluten Free Pumpkin Fritters
• Almond Flour Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
• Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Dairy Free)
• Homemade Pumpkin Butter Recipe
• Paleo Pumpkin Pie
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll recipe recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!

Recipe

Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll

Yield: 9 inch pumpkin roll Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Additional Time: 3 hours Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

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A soft, spiced pumpkin cake filled with light and silky whipped cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour blend (105g)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already has xanthan)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar (100g)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (55g)
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (150g)

Frosting

• 3/4 cup cold cream cheese [use block cream cheese if possible] (170 g | 6oz)
• 1/2 cup white sugar (100g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream [whipping cream in the UK] (170ml)

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Heat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Prepared Pan: Lightly grease a 10 X 15-inch  (25x38cm) rimmed baking sheet then line with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
3. Wet ingredients: In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars until slightly frothy. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin. Mix until combined.
4. Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk and sift together the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt.
5. Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until no lumps remain.
6. Fill Baking Sheet: Pour the batter on to the prepared pan and smooth over into an even layer. Gently shake the pan to spread and smooth the batter.
7. Bake: Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake 13-15 minutes or until the cake springs bake up when you gently poke it. Remove from oven.
8. Prep Towel while Cake Bakes: Lay a clean kitchen towel flat on the counter. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup powdered/icing sugar.
9. Flip: Right after the cake comes out of the oven, flip it out onto the prepared towel so that the top of the cake is face down in the powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment paper.
10. Roll: Start with the narrow end of the cake and gently roll the cake up with the towel into a tight log. Do this ASAP while the cake is still warm.
11. Cool:  Let the cake cool completely in the towel for a few hours at room temperature. I recommend placing it on a cooling rack to get air flow underneath.
12. Make Frosting: Add the cream cheese and sugar to a stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl. Beat in the mixer or with a hand mixer on high 1-2 minutes until thick and creamy. Add vanilla extract and beat again until combined. Add heavy cream. Beat another 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth.
13. Frost: Gently unroll the cake on a flat surface. Add frosting and spread frosting over the top in an even layer. Leave a 1/2-inch border unfrosted around the sides. Start with the same side you did before, gently roll the cake back up into a log shape.
14. Chill & Enjoy: Cover in plastic wrap then place the rolled cake in the fridge for at least an hour so the filling firms up. When you're ready, use a sharp knife to cut into slices and enjoy. Keep refrigerated up to three days.

Notes

• Make sure to flip and roll the cake while it's still warm. If you try to roll it when cool, it will break.
• Use a clean kitchen towel to roll (not parchment paper) to reduce chance of cracking.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Desserts Cuisine: American