This sourdough pumpkin roll pairs fluffy, sweet, spiced sourdough cake with a delicious, cream cheese filling. Literally, the best fall treat.
I love pumpkin rolls and I think they are insanely delicious, but I wanted a long fermented option.
Creating sourdough recipes is one of my favorite things to do. It’s like adding a health benefit to ordinary foods.
Like, “Hey, Pumpkin Cake, lets make you healthier and more bioavailable with some fermentation. Thank you.” Then you top it with sweet, cream cheese filling.
All joking aside, this recipe hits the fall pumpkin spot. Everything you love about a fall recipe is right here.
The delicious pumpkin spice, the light tang of sourdough in a cake, all smothered with a naturally-sweetened, maple cream cheese filling and rolled up in a perfect spiral.
Plus, your house will smell amazing from baking the cake. Like a giant, spiced candle wafting through your home.
If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out how to make a sourdough starter first.
Benefits Of Sourdough
Sourdough has many benefits. From better digestion to better nutrient absorption, it’s easy to see why it has regained popularity.
The fermentation process allows the natural yeasts in the starter to ferment the grain and break down the anti-nutrients. The anti-nutrient, phytic acid, breaks down and increases certain nutrients like folate, and helps other nutrients to be more bioavailable. (source)
Tips For Making Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls:
- To get the pumpkin roll to not crack when rolling, roll the cake up as soon as it comes out of the oven with the parchment paper and allow to cool in that position. Unroll, add icing, then roll back up.
- If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can make your own by mixing together ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. You could also just use cinnamon.
- The cake has 1/2 cup of sugar to make it a bit sweeter, but if you want a less sweet cake, you can just leave it out.
- Use sucanat, rapadura, or even coconut sugar for a more naturally-sweetened recipe. But if you don’t have these, regular sugar will work just fine.
- You can use an active sourdough starter or even sourdough discard.
- Don’t want to ferment the recipe? That is totally fine. Just mix and bake.
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Tools you may need:
Large bowl
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Measuring cups and spoons
Grain mill (optional)
How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
Make The Sourdough Pumpkin Cake
The night before, mix together flour, active sourdough starter, 1/2 cup pumpkin, and maple syrup. Cover and allow to ferment for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
The next day, add to the cake mixture the salt, eggs, vanilla, and sucanat. Mix until well incorporated. A stand mixer will make this much easier.
Sprinkle baking soda evenly and mix in.
Spread evenly on a 13 by 18 inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Roll The Cake
Once done, pull from the oven and test that it has baked through with a toothpick.
In order to avoid the cake cracking later when you roll it up with the cream cheese, roll it in the parchment paper as soon as it comes out of the oven (be careful, because it’s hot). Allow it to cool while rolled.
Create Maple Cream Cheese Filling
While the cake is cooling, combine the cream cheese frosting ingredients with a mixer until incorporated and smooth.
Put Together The Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
Carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread on the cream cheese filling evenly, and roll it back up.
Slice and enjoy.
How To Store A Pumpkin Roll
Store the pumpkin roll in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It will last 3-5 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze.
Thaw at least 18-24 hours before serving.
Find More Delicious Sourdough Recipes:
- Cinnamon Maple Sourdough Apple Pie
- Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Brownies
- Easy Sourdough Banana Bread
- Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone
Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup puréed pumpkin
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, or discard
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
Instructions
- The night before, mix together flour, active sourdough starter, 1/2 cup pumpkin and maple syrup. Cover and allow to ferment for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- The next day, add to the cake mixture the salt, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice and sucanat. Mix until well incorporated.
- Sprinkle baking soda evenly and mix in.
- Spread evenly on a 13×18 inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Once done, pull from the oven and test that it has baked through with a toothpick.
- Roll it in the parchment paper as soon as it comes out of the oven (be careful, because it's hot).
- Allow the cake to cool while rolled.
- While the cake is cooling, combine the cream cheese frosting ingredients with a mixer until incorporated and smooth.
- Carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread on the cream cheese filling evenly, and roll it back up.
- Slice and serve or place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Notes
- To get the pumpkin rolls to not crack when rolling, roll the cake up as soon as it comes out of the oven with the parchment paper and allow to cool in that position. Unroll, add icing, then roll back up.
- You can use homemade or canned pumpkin.
- Don’t want to ferment the recipe? That is totally fine. Just mix and bake
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
First time making a roll of any kind, and it was sooo good! For the rolling, I put on knit winter gloves, and then rubber gloves on top of those and that saved my fingers! I tried with nothing on my hands at first, but it was too hot for me to keep going. Definitely try this if you are reading the comments before baking!
Thank you for the recipe! It was a major hit at my work Thanksgiving potluck!
Is there a way to use maple syrup to sweeten the cream cheese icing or would that make it too thin? Thanks!
I’ve made this pumpkin roll recipe a few times already. One of which was for a church group breakfast. My kids, husband, and everyone enjoys it. I really appreciate that you can use your starter at various points in the active or discard process. It is also nice that you have the option to not long ferment if that isn’t in the cards as far as timing and schedule go.
My 1st time making this or any pumpkin roll. It was much easier than I expected. Maybe since I’ve mastered cinnamon rolls, it gave me hope! 😁
I sprayed the parchment with oil. After baking it rolled up really well, just very hot!
I did not have any trouble with the cream cheese filling squirting out when rerolled it. It stayed put just fine. Next time, I would try to roll it up tighter, but otherwise really pleased with it. I cut mine in half after adding filling and trolling, due to being so large. Half now and will freeze the other half for later.
Thank you, Lisa for another great recipe! 🦋
I made this for the first time a couple of days ago. Rolling the hot cake was a bit of a challenge, but it worked out well.
The filling is very rich, so only a small slice of the roll satisfies. I will be making this again very soon.
First time trying this pumpkin roll recipe and it is—- CHEF’S KISSSSSSSS!!!
Thank you, Lisa.
Was wandering if you have ever froze the roll after you bake and ice?? Was thinking about making several in advance for family get togethers but wasn’t sure if it would work or not?? Love the recipe!! Super yummy! ❤️❤️❤️
Yes, you can freeze it!
This is so good! I love that it is a fermented recipe. If you are using granulated sugar instead suganat it isn’t a 1 to 1 substitution. If using granulated sugar / brown sugar it’s 1/2 a cup minus 2 tablespoons. I will definitely be making this again!
What is sucanant? Or is that a typo?
It’s a type of sugar. You can use granulated in place of it.
Which frosting works best? One in video or one in recipe?? Recipe one is delicious but squirts out everywhere