This Gingerbread Cake Roll is sure to be the highlight of your holiday dinner. Loaded with flavor and some ingredients have been swapped out to cut out some of the calories. This holiday I tried my hand at creating a cake roll for the first time. I decided to try some festive holiday flavors and gingerbread and nutmeg were the ones that stood out to me.
The frosting I used some Stonyfield Greek Yogurt to cut out some of the calories and also give it a creamy texture. I used King Arthur's flour in my cake. They have great flour and it's one of my favorite brands to bake and cook with.
I also got to test out some great new baking products. I bought myself a jelly roll pan the other day because I was lacking baking sheets with rims on them. I also got a Silpat the fits perfectly in the pan I ordered. These silicone mats are my favorite. I have a few of them now because they are just a bakers best friend. They are perfect for cookies. Make sure to prepare the pan and Silpat before added the cake mix to it. Lightly spray it with oil so that you can get your cake off easily.
I also got to test out these new measuring spoons called Levoons, which I was really excited about because I saw them circulating around Facebook and that they would be super handy. I love that they stack into themselves also making storage less of a hassle. They have spring loaded levels on them to make sure you get the proper measurements.
You're going to need an electric or stand mixer for this recipe because there is a lot of beating you'll need to do. I wish I hadn't given up my hand mixer because it would have saved me some time because I was cleaning my stand mixer between each mix.
Cake rolls are also time-consuming. If you are making one for a special occasion I suggest making it the night before because you have a lot of chill time between each stage. I decided to add some crunch to the center of my cake roll as well. Praline pecans were the perfect answer.
With the cream cheese frosting, I blended it with Stonyfield Greek yogurt to thin it out and cut out some of the calories. I love being able to use organic options in my baking.
- 5 eggs, separated
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup King Arthur Organic all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup praline pecans, coarsely chopped
- Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp gelatin
- 1 tbsp cold water
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1½ cups Stonyfield plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or stand mixer), beat the egg yolks until pale, about 2 minutes.
- Add the molasses, brown sugar, and the fresh ginger and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, allspice, black pepper and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture until combined.
- In a clean bowl, using clean beaters beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add granulated sugar and beat until firm and glossy. Fold the egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain.
- Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cake with a small amount of powdered sugar.
- Run the blade of a sharp knife around the edge of the pan.
- Cover the cake with a piece of parchment paper and then place a large cutting board on top. Holding the pan, towel and cutting board, flip the cake onto the cutting board.
- Remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the other side of the cake with powdered sugar and place a piece of parchment paper on this side as well.
- Roll the cake slowly making sure to keep the parchment paper between the cake.
- Wrap in a kitchen towel and refrigerate until the cake is completely cooled. Around 10 minutes.
- Making the frosting:
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Microwave at high power until the gelatin is melted, about 10 seconds.
- In a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese with the nutmeg and melted gelatin until smooth.
- In another bowl, whip the Stonyfield greek yogurt with the powdered sugar until still.
- Fold the cream cheese into the greek yogurt mixture.
- Assemble your cake roll:
- Carefully unroll the cake and peel off the center piece of parchment paper.
- Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of the cake. Leave about two inches on the end of the cake so that the frosting doesn't squish out the side.
- Sprinkle crushed praline pecans over the entire cake.
- Starting at a short end, roll up the cake jelly roll–style.
- Wrap the gingerbread roll tightly in a piece of the parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
- Dust the outside of the cake roll with powdered sugar and crushed praline pecans.
- Slice off the end pieces before placing on your serving platter.
I hope your family enjoys this delicious gingerbread cake roll and nutmeg cream cheese frosting!

This looks so tasty. I’m sure it’s a hit!
My husband would mow me down for cream cheese icing. I would like those spring loaded levels. I’m bad about shaking them off. LOL