Name: Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 8 h 35 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup 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 sucanat or rapadura (regular sugar can be used also); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 8 oz package cream cheese; 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1/4 cup butter

Sourdough Pumpkin Roll

by Lisa | September 22, 2020

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 […]

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This sourdough pumpkin roll pairs fluffy, sweet, spiced sourdough cake with a delicious, cream cheese filling. Literally, the best fall treat.

sourdough pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting rolled into a log and placed on a white plate

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.

three slices our sourdough pumpkin rolls on white plates with pumpkins spread around

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)

two slices of sourdough pumpkin rolls on white plates with a orange small pumpkin to the left

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.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Watch The Tutorial

close up of a sourdough pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling on a white plate

Tools you may need:

Large bowl

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

Measuring cups and spoons

Stand mixer

Grain mill (optional)

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

one slice of a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling on a white plate with two small pumpkins to the right and a blue napkin in the background

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.

top picture if pumpkin cake batter bottom picture of the cake spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet

Sprinkle baking soda evenly and mix in.

Spread evenly on a 10 by 15 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.

top picture of a unrolled pumpkin cake and the bottom picture is of the cream cheese filling spread across the cake to roll

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.

sourdough pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling on a white plate with orange and white pumpkins to the right

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:

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone