Gingerbread Cake Roll

Get into the holiday spirit with this Gingerbread Cake Roll! This festive dessert features a thin gingerbread cake filled with a light and fluffy cream cheese frosting – it’s perfect for holiday parties!

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I know lots of people everyone in America goes crazy for pumpkin spice season. Starbucks now releases their pumpkin spice latte in August. August! I get it though. Pumpkin spice is delicious! The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger is pretty darned fantastic. I always crave pumpkin spice coffee creamer as soon as the mornings start to get a little bit chilly – and that’s usually followed by a craving for these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. Delish!

But I actually get more excited about the seasonal flavor that comes after pumpkin spice. Gingerbread. I absolutely love gingerbread! Truthfully, the flavors are pretty similar – gingerbread also includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Sure, the proportions are a bit different and gingerbread uses molasses instead of pumpkin…but we’re still in the realm of those classic warm spices that we associate with the holidays. So I say bring on the gingerbread coffee creamer – and a batch of these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls!

Gingerbread Cake Roll

While the cinnamon rolls are more fitting for mornings, this Gingerbread Cake Roll is the perfect dessert for the holidays! The sponge cake portion features the classic gingerbread flavors, and then it’s rolled up with a classic cream cheese frosting inside. Not only is it attractive to serve to guests, but it tastes great, too!

Cake rolls used to be one of those desserts that intimidated me. They look so hard to make! But guess what? They’re not hard at all. I do recommend following the recipe closely as you need the cake to be spongy enough to roll without cracking.

The hardest part of making a cake roll is flipping the cake out of the pan onto the tea towel. I just line the edge of the pan up with the edge of the counter and 1…2…3…flip! From there, all you need to do is let things cool. That basically means walk away, do the dishes, wrap some Christmas presents. Basically give that cake roll the cold shoulder.

Once it’s cooled, you can unroll the cake roll, remove the parchment paper and spread that deliciously creamy frosting all over the top. Roll the whole thing back up, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. That’s it. Walk away again. Ignore the cake roll. Wrap more presents. Or sit down and sip on a gingerbread latte. Just let the Gingerbread Cake Roll cool, and it’ll be ready to put on a plate for dessert that night!

Speaking of serving, I added a few holly leaves on the side and then dusted the entire cake with a bit of powdered sugar. It looks like a light dusting of snow floated down on top of the cake. (Tip: That powdered sugar will dissolve into the cake, so wait and dust the top right before serving.)

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover cake roll should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. This cake roll can also be frozen. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, let the cake rest in the fridge overnight. You can refresh the appearance of the cake by adding a bit more powdered sugar to the top.

If you’re looking for a festive (and tasty) holiday dessert recipe, then put this Gingerbread Cake Roll on the list. It’s not as hard to make as you might think – Happy Baking!

Did you bake this Gingerbread Cake Roll recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Gingerbread Cake Roll

Get into the holiday spirit with this Gingerbread Cake Roll! This festive dessert features a thin gingerbread cake filled with a light and fluffy cream cheese frosting – it's perfect for holiday parties!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 473kcal

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Ingredients

For the Cake

• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅓-½ cup confectioner’s sugar for rolling and dusting

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line a standard 11”x17” jelly-roll pan (rimmed baking sheet) with parchment paper; spray paper generously with nonstick cooking spray. Set pan aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed for 4-5 minutes, or until mixture turns foamy and light yellow in color.
• Add sugar, molasses and oil; mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Using a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Fold flour mixture into the egg mixture until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan. (Tip: Spread batter evenly to edges using an offset spatula.) Tap pan on counter several times to remove air bubbles.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. While cake is baking, lay a thin clean kitchen towel on counter. Sprinkle powdered sugar generously on top of cloth. (Tip: Make sure towel is at least 11"x17" in size.)
• Once baked, immediately turn hot cake out onto the powdered sugar-dusted cloth. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting with a short end of the cake, roll up cake (and cloth). Set rolled cake on wire rack and let cool completely (1-2 hours) before continuing.

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• Using a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined.
• Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar; beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy.

To Assemble

• Carefully unroll cake and spread frosting evenly on top of cake. (Tip: Make sure to frost all the way to the edges.)
• Roll cake back up (this time without the towel). Wrap cake roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Prior to serving, remove cake roll from refrigerator and dust top generously with confectioner’s sugar. (I used a fine-meshed sieve to dust the confectioner’s sugar evenly.)
• Use a serrated knife to slice cake.

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