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Hi Iam new to this board I usually am on the crocheting and knitting board for that is my craft of choice. But I need to ask a question about food. I make pumpkin rolls each year and when I make them after adding the filling and rerolling them they aways crack. I was hoping someone could tell me a way to keep this from happening. Thanks for any help I can get on this matter.
Carol

Hi & Welcome!

Those pumpkin rolls sounds delicious! What do use for the filling? Is it possible to add a thin icing to cover the cracks?

Could you prepare them and bake in a muffin tin?

You might be putting a little to much filling in the roll.

Are you timing it exactly? Perhaps if you take the cake out of the oven a few minutes early it will be a little more moist.

Are you rolling it right out of the oven?

If you are making a cake type pumpkin rolls then you need to add the filling right after you remove the cake from the jelly roll pan and it has cooled but is still warm. You want to add the filling while the cake is still warm and moist to prevent the cracking.


If you are making filled pumpkin crescent rolls then your dough is probably cracking because it dried out. Try covering the dough with a moist towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: still tryin,

Are you talking about the pumpkin roll cake with cream cheese/butter filling? I don't know about filling that one while warm... Seems a pretty sure bet it will melt into a puddle if that mixture is applied to warm cake.

Make sure you aren't overbaking the cake layer. Otherwise, I think these are just prone to cracking, and it's normal. The three I've made all did. I camouflage the cracks with whipped cream and chopped walnuts and candied ginger. Of course, you can't "gift" them covered in whipped cream, but maybe a dusting of powdered sugar would work better?

I have good luck with rolling the cake with a clean dish towel/tea towel while it is warm.

Allow to cool completely then gently unroll - remove the towel - spread the filling and re roll.

Another thing...not all jelly roll pans are created equal. Is yours large enough to allow for a thin cake layer? It seems thinner is more flexible - but careful not to over bake.

I do exactly the same thing as Jeepdarla. I sprinkle powdered sugar on the towel before I turn the cake out onto it.

Jeepdarla has good suggestions.
I'd try baking the cake roll a few minutes less.
Measure your pan for dimensions.
I recently bought a high end jelly roll pan and it is not the adequate measurements needed for jellyroll cakes. Really small, almost the same size as 9 X 13"!!

Thanks for all the comments. I will try some of them and see if it helps. I do usually wait until it cools completely before adding filling.Because Iam sure the filling will melt if put on a to warm cake. But maybe if I try baking it a little less would help I will try that with the next one. Or I suppose my pan may the wrong size. I don't know I did have one that was to big and I just bought a smaller one. Thanks for the help. Carol

Check your recipe, it should say somewhere what size pan. Taste of Home's recipe calls for the traditional 10 X 15 X 1 pan.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Charming,

Thanks Charming I will check and see what size my pan is.
Carol

Give it a nice dusting of powdered sugar and you won't even notice the cracks. When you slice it and serve it you only see the pretty inside!