This gorgeous gluten free pumpkin roll tastes like a soft, fluffy cloud of sweet pumpkin spice goodness. With a moist, tender pumpkin sponge and a luscious vanilla cream cheese filling, it’s the perfect fall dessert that you’ll want to make over and over again. It’s also incredibly easy to make and, even though it’s gluten free, it rolls like an absolute dream without any cracking whatsoever.
INGREDIENTS
Gluten free pumpkin sponge:
● 3 US large/UK medium eggs, room temperature
● 150 g (¾ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
● 150 g (⅔ cup) canned pumpkin puree
● ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
● 80 g (⅔ cup) plain gluten free flour blend (I used Doves Farm Freee plain gluten free flour that doesn’t have any xanthan gum added. You can also mix your own gluten free flour blend using this recipe. Note that for this homemade blend, 1 cup = 150g, so ideally use a digital food scale for best results.)
● ¾ tsp xanthan gum (If your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum, reduce the amount to ½ tsp.)
● ½ tsp baking powder
● ½ tsp baking soda
● ¼ tsp salt
● ½ tsp ground cinnamon
● ¼ tsp ground ginger
● ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Vanilla cream cheese filling:
● 155 g (⅔ cup) heavy/double cream, cold from the fridge
● 60-80 g (½-⅔ cup) powdered/icing sugar, sifted (depending on how sweet you want the filling to be)
● ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
● 150 g (⅔ cup) cream cheese, cold from the fridge
You will also need:
● 1-2 tbsp powdered/icing sugar, for dusting the top of the cake
INSTRUCTIONS
Gluten free pumpkin sponge:
1.Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a 10×15-inch (25x38cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment/baking paper.
2.Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale, thick, fluffy and about tripled in volume (the ribbon stage). This should take about 5-7 minutes on a high speed setting.
3.Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla, and whisk briefly until combined.
4.In a separate bowl, sift together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
5.Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and whisk well for about 15-30 seconds until no flour clumps remain. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to prevent any unmixed patches. The final batter will be smooth and fairly fluffy in texture.
6.Transfer the batter into the lined baking sheet and smooth it out into an even layer. You can tap it a few times on the counter to make it perfectly level and also to get rid of any large trapped air pockets.
7.Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 12-14 minutes or until well risen, golden on top, soft and spongy to the touch, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8.Immediately out of the oven, cover the baking sheet with a large sheet of aluminium foil. Allow to cool to room temperature or lukewarm – ideally, the temperature of the sponge shouldn’t drop below 72ºF (22ºC).
Tip: Covering the sponge with aluminium foil traps the moisture within the sponge, making it much more pliable and flexible – and therefore less likely to crack when you roll it.
Vanilla cream cheese filling:
1.You can prepare this filling by hand with a large balloon whisk, using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters.
If using a stand or a hand mixer, whisk the filling on a low speed setting. This gives you better control over the texture/consistency of the filling and it lowers the chances of over-whipping it.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy/double cream and powdered/icing sugar until soft peaks form.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk the cream cheese until it’s smooth and looser in texture.
4.Add the cream cheese and vanilla to the whipped cream, and whisk until well combined and soft peaks form.
Assembling the pumpkin roll:
1.Once the sponge is sufficiently cooled, remove the sheet of aluminium foil and loosen the sponge from the edges of the baking sheet with an offset spatula or a thin knife.
Tip: For the next steps, you can work with the sponge still in the baking sheet, or you can carefully slide it off the baking sheet onto a work surface – either option works well.
2.Spoon dollops of the filling evenly over the sponge, and use a small offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer all the way to the edges.
3.Note that when assembling the pumpkin roll, you want to get a 10-inch/25cm long pumpkin roll, starting out with a 10×15-inch/25x38cm sponge.
Turn the sponge so that a short edge is closest to you.
Using the parchment/baking paper underneath (the one that lines the baking sheet) to help you, lift the edge of the sponge closest to you and gently fold it over itself to start the roll.
Gently lift the parchment paper to continue the roll all the way to the end (so that the sponge rolls away from you) – the parchment paper should easily peel away from the sponge as you roll it. You should get a crack-free 10-inch (25cm) long pumpkin roll.
Tip: Make sure to keep the roll fairly tight from the very beginning, otherwise you’ll be left with an empty hole in the centre of your pumpkin roll.
4.Dust the pumpkin roll with some powdered/icing sugar before slicing and serving.
Storage:
1.The gluten free pumpkin roll keeps well in a closed container or wrapped in plastic wrap/cling film in the fridge for 3-4 days.