This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
A sourdough pumpkin roll made with warm spices and a creamy filling is perfect for your holiday dessert table. I love putting my sourdough starter to work in my kitchen. It adds flavor and creates a beautiful texture in so many baked goods. This recipe creates a tender pumpkin roll that rolls easily into a log shape.
Best of all, this pumpkin roll is made with 100% sourdough starter. This means that there’s not waiting around. No letting the dough rise, no bulk fermentation or second rise. Just mix and bake! And enjoy all the goodness of fermented grains. try it out for your next holiday get together!
If you are someone who keeps a large amount of starter on hand, then you will be ready to throw this recipe together anytime. Discard works perfectly in this recipe. If, however, you prefer to keep a minimal amount of starter on hand, you may need to build your starter up the day before baking. To do this, take 50 grams of sourdough starter, or about 1/4 cup and place it in a separate bowl. To this add 125 grams of flour (1 cup) and 125 grams of water (1/2 cup). Mix everything together until well combined. Let this mixture sit a room temperature for 12-24 hours, until it is active and bubbly. You will use all of it for this recipe.
So, is this a discard recipe?
Sourdough pumpkin roll can be made with either sourdough discard or active starter. Why is this? The yeast in the starter is not what gives this cake it’s rise. We are adding baking powder and baking soda which will lift the cake. However, use starter that has been at room temperature for less than 24 hours since being fed. Alternatively, it can be stored in the fridge for less than a week. Otherwise, your cake may be too sour.
Then, why use sourdough starter at all?
We are adding our sourdough discard to this recipe for the fermentation benefits and not as a leavening agent. Active sourdough starter and sourdough discard will both work great.
There are a lot of good reasons to consume fermented grains, including:
- The fermentation process begins to break down the complex carbs of the grains. This makes them easier for our bodies to digest.
- Increased bio-availability means more of the vitamins and minerals in the grains are available to be used by your body.
- Fermentation breaks down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that can bind minerals in the body and prevent their absorption.
Basically, fermented grains= happy bellies!
Baking with Sourdough Discard In Our Home
I love keeping a little extra sourdough starter on hand at all times. I can use it to bake so much more than just sourdough bread! In order to have extra starter to use throughout the week, I simply feed my starter with more flour and water anytime it’s looking low. I don’t measure my flour and water when I feed my starter at home. I simply follow these two rules:
1. Maintain my starter at the consistency of a thick pancake batter
2. Always double the volume of the starter when feeding it.
After feeding my starter, I let it sit on the counter for about 12 hours, until it is active and bubbly and has doubled in size. I pull out what I need of the starter if I’m baking and place the rest back in the fridge. My starter lives in the fridge the majority of the time. For sourdough discard recipes, it’s just fine to use starter straight from the fridge. Keep in mind, it’s best to feed your starter at least once a week to make sure it doesn’t become too sour.
Here’s how I maintain my starter while baking bread once a week!
Prepping your Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
You’ll bake your sourdough pumpkin roll in a jelly roll pan, or a rimmed cookie sheet. To make sure the pumpkin roll comes out of the pan easily, grease the pan and line it with parchment paper. Then grease the parchment paper as well. Dust this all with a fine layer of flour. Now, you’re ready to mix!
The dry ingredient list in this recipe is small because we’re not adding fresh flour. To a small bowl add your baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and mix them together with a fork. Next, to the bowl of a stand mixer add your eggs, white sugar and brown sugar. With the paddle attachment, beat until the eggs start to look thick. This will take about three minutes. Next, you will add your pumpkin purée. Mix this until everything is fully combined without streaks.
Now add in your starter and the spice mixture and beat on medium low speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix for 10 more seconds. You don’t want to over mix here. But you want to make sure that the starter is completely incorporated. Use a spatula to transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Smooth the batter out and push it into the corners of the pan.
Bake your Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
While the cake is in the oven, find a kitchen towel that is at least as big at the baking sheet. Try to find a towel with a low nap (less fuzzy). Spread it out on the counter. Dust the towel with a fine layer of powdered sugar. A sifter works great here!
Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes. To test it, take the tip of a knife and insert it in the center of the cake. If the tip comes out clean the cake is done. If batter clings to the knife, it needs a few more minutes. The surface of the cake should be golden brown and a beautiful orange color!
Flip Your Cake
After you take the cake out of the oven, you are immediately going to flip the cake out of the pan and onto the prepared towel. This part takes some bravery, but as long as you prepared your pan you shouldn’t have any trouble! First I like to run a butter knife along the edges of the pan. This ensures that none of the edges stick. Then just invert the pan over the towel and the pumpkin cake should pop right out!
As soon as the cake is flipped onto the towel, begin with one of the shorter edges and use the towel to roll the cake up into a log. Set the log, towel and all, onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While you’re waiting on your cake to cool, go ahead and make your filling. For best results, use softened cream cheese and softened butter that have been sitting at room temperature for about thirty minutes. This ensures that your filling comes together nicely without lumps. Any time you’re making a buttercream of sorts, you want to beat your ingredients together for a full five minutes. This is the best way to make sure you end up with fluffy and delicious frostings and fillings!
For the cream cheese filling, Add all of your ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment at medium speed for five minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way.
Assembling your Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
Once your pumpkin roll is completely cool, it’s time to add the filling. Carefully unroll the cake until it’s flat on your work surface. Dump the cream cheese icing onto the center of the cake. Use a cake spatula or the bake of a spoon to gently push the filling from the center out. Work out towards the edges of the cake until you have an even layer of filling. Then, with gentle fingers, roll the cake back up into a log, enclosing the filling.
Wrap the entire cake up in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This cake is so good when eaten a little bit cold! When you’re ready to serve your beautiful sourdough pumpkin roll, unwrap it and put it on a pretty serving plate. Use a sifter to dust the surface with powdered sugar.
Can I Freeze My Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
Yes! Sourdough pumpkin roll freezes beautifully, making it a great dessert to prep ahead. Once the roll is fully assembled, wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap. (2 layers if your freezing for longer than a month.) Next, wrap aluminum foil around the plastic wrap for extra protection.
Thaw out your pumpkin roll by placing it in the fridge the night before you plan to enjoy it. Allow it to thaw completely in its wrappings, so that condensation forms on the aluminum and not on the cake layer.
In Conclusion…
A timeless classic, revamped with the power of fermented grains, ready for your next dinner party! We hope you’ll give this recipe a try, and let us know how it goes!
More Sourdough Recipes
More Pumpkin Recipes for your leftover pumpkin puree!
Sourdough Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- 300 grams Sourdough starter/ discard 1 1/2 cup
- 100 grams Brown sugar 1/2 cup
- 100 grams Granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 3 Eggs
- 2/3 cup Pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
For The Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ou Cream cheese softened
- 6 tbsp Butter softened
- 125 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
Instructions
- Grease a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Then grease the parchment paper as well. Dust this all with a fine layer of flour.
- To a small bowl add your baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and mix them together with a fork.
- Next, to the bowl of a stand mixer add your eggs, white sugar and brown sugar. With the paddle attachment, beat until the eggs start to look thick. This will take about three minutes. Next, you will add your pumpkin purée. Mix this until everything is fully combined without streaks.
- Now add in your starter and the spice mixture, and beat on medium low speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix for 10 more seconds. You don’t want to overmix here. However, you want to make sure that the starter is completely incorporated. Use a spatula to transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Smooth the batter out and push it into the corners of the pan.
- While the cake is in the oven, find a kitchen towel that is at least as big at the baking sheet. Try to find a towel with a low nap (less fuzzy). Spread it out on the counter. Dust the towel with a fine layer of powdered sugar. A sifter works great here!
- Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes. To test it, take the tip of a knife and insert it in the center of the cake. If the tip comes out clean the cake is done. If batter clings to the knife, it needs a few more minutes. The surface of the cake should be golden brown and a beautiful orange color!
- After you take the cake out of the oven, you are immediately going to flip the cake out of the pan and onto the prepared towel. This part takes some bravery, but as long as you prepared your pan you shouldn’t have any trouble! First I like to run a butter knife along the edges of the pan. This ensures that none of the edges stick. Then just invert the pan over the towel and the pumpkin cake should pop right out!
- As soon as the cake is flipped onto the towel, begin with one of the shorter edges and use the towel to roll the cake up into a log. Set the log, towel and all, onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While you’re waiting on your cake to cool, go ahead and make your filling. For best results, use softened cream cheese and softened butter that have been sitting at room temperature for about thirty minutes. This ensures that your filling comes together nicely without lumps. Any time you’re making a buttercream of sorts, you want to beat your ingredients together for a full five minutes. This is the best way to make sure you end up with fluffy and delicious frostings and fillings! For the cream cheese filling, Add all of your ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment at medium speed for five minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way.
- Once your pumpkin roll is completely cool, carefully unroll the cake until it’s flat on your work surface. Dump the cream cheese icing onto the center of the cake. Use a cake spatula or the bake of a spoon to gently push the filling from the center out. Work out towards the edges of the cake until you have an even layer of filling. Then, with gentle fingers, roll the cake back up into a log, enclosing the filling.
- Wrap the entire cake up in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- When you’re ready to serve your beautiful sourdough pumpkin roll, unwrap it and put it on a pretty serving plate. Use a sifter to dust the surface with powdered sugar.
[…] December 6, 2024 at 5:20 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment Sourdough Pumpkin Roll Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling […]