Name: Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 220 min
Ingredients: 3 Large Eggs, room temperature; 1 cup Granulated Sugar; 2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling); 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 3/4 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour; 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger; 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg; 1/4 tsp Salt; Powdered Sugar, for towel; 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened; 1 cup Powdered Sugar; 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

If you’re looking for a gluten free dessert that actually wows people, this pumpkin roll is it. It’s one of those recipes that looks fancy but comes together pretty easily.

The cake itself is light, moist, and full of warm pumpkin spice flavor. And when you slice into it and see that swirl of cream cheese filling, it just looks beautiful.

I’ve made this for friends who eat gluten all the time, and they had no idea it was gluten free. That’s always the best compliment a recipe like this can get.

You don’t need any unusual ingredients either. Just a good gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour and the usual pantry staples you probably already have.

Once you try this recipe, I think it’ll become a regular in your fall and holiday rotation. Let’s get into it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s Completely Gluten Free – This pumpkin roll uses gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour so anyone with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity can enjoy a classic fall dessert without worry.

Tastes Just Like the Classic – Nobody will be able to tell this is gluten free because the soft pumpkin cake and creamy filling taste exactly like the traditional pumpkin roll you grew up with.

Perfect for Fall and the Holidays – With warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg spiced into real pumpkin cake, this is the kind of dessert that belongs on every Thanksgiving and holiday table.

That Cream Cheese Filling Is Unreal – The buttery vanilla cream cheese filling spread inside the soft pumpkin cake creates the most irresistible combination in every single bite.

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 cup Granulated Sugar
2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
Powdered Sugar, for towel

For the Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment. Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and dust it generously with powdered sugar.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and granulated sugar on high speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale, and has tripled in volume. Beat in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract on low speed until combined.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture with a spatula until just combined.

Step 4

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 5

Immediately invert the hot cake onto the prepared powdered sugar towel. Peel off the parchment paper. Starting from a short end, gently roll the cake up together with the towel into a tight log. Place seam-side down and let it cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 6

While the cake cools, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, softened butter, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the entire surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the far short edge. Re-roll the cake gently without the towel this time, keeping it as tight as possible without cracking.

Step 8

Wrap the pumpkin roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Before serving, dust the top with additional powdered sugar and slice into 1-inch rounds.

Helpful Tips

Beat the Eggs and Sugar Long Enough

This step is the backbone of the whole cake. You want to beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for a full 3-4 minutes until the mixture looks pale yellow, thick, and has seriously grown in volume. It should almost look like whipped cream in texture.

This is what gives the cake its lift and structure, which matters even more in gluten free baking since you don’t have regular gluten doing that job. If you rush this part, the cake will come out flat and dense, and it’ll crack when you try to roll it.

Set a timer if you need to. It feels like a long time just standing there with the mixer running, but it makes a huge difference.

Roll the Cake While It’s Still Hot

The second the cake comes out of the oven, flip it onto that powdered sugar towel and start rolling. Don’t wait for it to cool down even a little bit. A hot cake is flexible, and a cooled cake will crack right down the middle.

Roll it up starting from one of the short ends, and roll the towel right into it. The towel keeps the layers from sticking together. It might feel weird rolling a towel into a cake, but this is what trains the cake to hold its spiral shape later when you fill it.

Once it’s rolled, just set it seam-side down on a wire rack and leave it alone for about an hour until it’s completely cool.

Use the Right Pumpkin

Make sure you grab a can of plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They look almost identical on the shelf, but pie filling has sugar, spices, and other stuff already mixed in. Using it will throw off the flavor and sweetness of your cake.

The label should just say “pumpkin” or “100% pumpkin” in the ingredients. Give it a quick check before you open it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to roll the cake while it’s still hot?

Rolling the cake while it’s hot is the key trick that makes a pumpkin roll actually work. The warm cake is flexible and pliable, so it learns the rolled shape as it cools without cracking or breaking apart.

If you wait until the cake cools down, it becomes firm and will almost certainly crack when you try to roll it. The powdered sugar on the towel keeps it from sticking, so don’t skip that step either.