Once upon a time (actually, when I was about 5 years old and my little brother was 2) my mom wanted to make a Bûche de Noël (like a roll-cake) for Christmas. While the cake was still warm and rolled in a towel my 2-year-old brother climbed on the counter and exclaimed “Look! A pillow” and proceeded to smash his head down into it.
We’ve never tried to make a roll-cake again.
Until this year. My mom is in love with Ina Garten, so we tried her recipe for Pumpkin Roulade (which my family affectionately calls “pumpkin a-bleu-bleu-bleu”). It was delicious and I’m sure it’ll be a new traditional Thanksgiving food. If Bûche de Noël is the roll cake of Christmas, then Pumpkin Roulade is the roll cake of Thanksgiving:
For the cake:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting
For the filling:
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup minced dried crystallized ginger (not in syrup)
Pinch kosher salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the paper.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and stir to combine. Place the eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. With the mixer on low, add the pumpkin, then slowly add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the cake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched.
While the cake is baking, lay out a clean, thin cotton dish towel on a flat surface and sift the entire 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar evenly over it. (This will prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.) As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, loosen it around the edges and invert it squarely onto the prepared towel. Peel away the parchment paper. With a light touch, roll the warm cake and the towel together (don’t press!) starting at the short end of the cake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, and cream together for about a minute, until light and fluffy. Stir in the crystallized ginger, and salt.
To assemble, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath. Spread the cake evenly with the filling. Reroll the cake in a spiral using the towel as a guide. Remove the towel and trim the ends to make a neat edge. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve sliced.
It was fabulous. Here’s a tip that my mom taught me while making this: Kosher salt is a lot coarser than iodized salt, so if you’re like me and you use the salt from the container with the girl and her yellow umbrella, divide the salt in half. The mass of iodized salt is about twice that of kosher salt (when dealing with the same volume). So when the recipe says 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, use 1/4.
Also, if you don’t have a jelly-roll pan, you can use a baking sheet. Our baking sheet was about 12×17, but it fit fine. This cake doesn’t rise much so it shouldn’t spill over the top. Just make sure you bake it for the whole 12 minutes.
Also, chop up the ginger very fine. And when you think you’re done chopping, chop some more. It’ll flavor the filling and you’ll have a smoother filling. Large chunks of ginger have a too strong of a flavor, but small bits mix well and balance out the sweetness of the sugar.
I wish I had a picture to share with you, but people ate this cake before I had a chance. It was completely wrecked within a few minutes of hitting the table. Here’s someone else’s photo of what it looks like!

Currently Cooking To:
The Hit Crew – Rock and Roll All Night
Billy Joel – It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Bob Seger – Old Time Rock and Roll
Since we’re talking about roll cakes, I figured adding a little rock to this roll would be perfect for the occasion. As a bonus, this music shouldn’t offend your parents if you happen to bake this cake with family for Thanksgiving! Enjoy!