5 from 22 votes

This moist gingerbread cake roll recipe has the signature spiced gingerbread flavor with the addition of a rich and tangy eggnog cream cheese filling. Serve with homemade eggnog or mulled wine.

A sliced gingerbread cake roll with one slice on a white and gold plate with gold silverware on a wooden table

I'm calling this a gingerbread cake roll instead of a gingerbread yule log, because… this doesn't really look like a log.

Although, I guess if you squint from a distance it kinda looks like a log covered in fresh snow… oh well. It's already called a cake roll, can't take it back now.

It's okay if you don't get a super tight roll and it's a little bit loosey goosey, and not packed to the gills – which is how I feel the holidays should be.

A little more laid back, full of festive fun, but not to the degree that you're stressed out about how much fun you're supposed to have.

Taking a forkful of gingerbread cake slice

So this is me giving you permission to take some time for yourself and truly enjoy the things that you love. Maybe this cake roll will be the next thing you love.

Just sayin'.

Ingredients for gingerbread eggnog cake roll

Gingerbread cake:

4 eggs, separated and room temperature
⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup molasses
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar

Eggnog filling:

8 ounces Philadelphia Original Brick Cream Cheese, room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup eggnog
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cups powdered sugar

Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Cheese Filling

How to make gingerbread eggnog cake roll

Egg yolks being dropped into a clear stand mixer bowl

In the large bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks for 1 minute.

Egg yolks being mixed with brown sugar and molasses

Add brown sugar and molasses and mix on medium speed until completely combined.

It will be dark brown in color. Set aside.

White and brown dry ingredients in a clear bowl

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

A tan colored batter being mixed in a stand mixer

Add flour mixture to egg yolk mixture and beat until just combined.

White whipped egg whites in a clear bowl

In a separate large bowl, whip egg whites until foamy soft peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly add granulated sugar.

Whipped egg white mixture with soft peaks

Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to high and whip until medium stiff peaks form.

Egg white mixture being folded into gingerbread cake batter

Using a spatula, gently fold the egg white mixture into the bowl of batter. Take your time and, again, be gentle – you don’t want to eliminate all the air you whipped into them.

Pour batter onto the prepared pan, gently using a spatula to evenly distribute the batter. Bake in a 10″x15″ jelly roll pan at 350°F for 11-14 minutes, or until the cake is spongey and bounces back when touched.

Peeling parchment paper away from a baked cake bottom

While it’s baking, lay out a flour sack or kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle it with a layer of powdered sugar.

Tip: I like to use my flour sifter so that it’s a relatively even layer and I don’t miss any spots!

Let the cake cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then carefully turn it out onto the towel and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.

Starting from one of the short ends, roll the cake up (rolling the towel with it as you go). Lay the wrapped cake seam side down and let cool completely.

Mixing butter and cream cheese mixture with a hand mixer

While the cake cools, in a large bowl using a stand or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, eggnog, vanilla, and nutmeg on medium speed until well combined.

Powdered sugar being added to a cream cheese mixture

Slowly add powdered sugar and turn up to medium-high speed to completely combine.

Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it.

Cream cheese filling being spread on gingerbread cake

Using a spatula, add an even layer of the eggnog cream cheese filling to the top of the cake, leaving about 1/4″ of space on the edges.

Gingerbread cake being rolled around eggnog cream cheese filling

Gently re-roll the cake and then move it, seam side down, to a serving platter.

Slicing a gingerbread cake roll dusted with powdered sugar

Dust with powdered sugar, slice, serve, and enjoy!

How this is different from a classic yule log

The previous yule log recipe I shared was a light, spongey chocolate cake with a light whipped cream filling. I went a slightly different way with this one, and it was totally worth the risk I took to do it.

The idea of a dry and spongey gingerbread kinda made me cringe, so I wanted the cake to be a bit more moist and chewy, with a much richer filling.

We're filling this one with eggnog and cream cheese, and if you're picking up anything other than Philadelphia Cream Cheese when you're at the store, you're doing it wrong. I never use anything but their 8 oz bricks, which makes it so easy to measure out for this recipe because – surprise!

You'll need eight ounces for the filling.

Sliced gingerbread cake roll with one slice on a white and gold plate with festive greenery

It's not overly sweet

I wanted the eggnog and cream cheese flavors to shine, so I don't consider this filling to be super sweet. Bill tried it, made yummy noises and asked for another piece – and he hates overly sweet stuff, so I think we're good.

A friend of Bill's is staying with us, and I gave both of the guys a piece of this as they sat on the living room couch. I kid you not, they had both finished their pieces before I even made it back to the kitchen. And the living room is all of eight feet from the kitchen.

Cream cheese is my go-to ingredient when I want to make an indulgent dessert, because you don't need to use a lot of it to transform a dish. And truth be told, that goes for savory dishes, too – but we're not talking about cheese sauces today.

We're talking about a dessert that will become the star of your holiday tablescape, and it's not going to take you all day to prep. It's not even going to take you an hour! [insert raised hands emoji here]

Is there anything more festive than gingerbread? I asked myself that question, and immediately thought, “Well, eggnog…” so, I combined the two. Now it's 2x as festive.

You're welcome.

A slice of gingerbread cake roll on a white plate dusted in powdered sugar

Garnish with powdered sugar

I may have gotten a little carried away with the powdered sugar on top, but it just makes such a nice presentation. And frankly the excess will just fall off naturally when you go to serve it, so you don't have to get hit with a sugar bomb.

You could leave it off altogether and give it the “naked cake” treatment, but where's the fun in that? You could get creative and use stencils to make pretty powdered sugar designs on top too, but… well, I'm lazy.

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Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Cheese Filling

4.87 from 22 votes

This moist gingerbread cake roll has the signature spiced gingerbread flavor with the addition of a rich and tangy eggnog cream cheese filling!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 11

Total Time: 46

Servings: to 10 servings

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