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Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Cheese Filling

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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

Ingredients for gingerbread cake in clear bowls on a wooden tabletop

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 (aff link) 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.

A dark brown batter mixture

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.

Tan cake batter being poured into a pan

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 (aff link) 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.

Rolling gingerbread cake in a dishtowel

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.

Cake being unrolled from a dishtowel

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.

Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Cheese Filling


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.

Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Cheese Filling

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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 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 46 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
 

Gingerbread cake:

Eggnog filling:

Instructions

Gingerbread cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 10×15 baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In the large bowl of a stand mixer (aff link) using the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks for 1 minute. Add brown sugar and molasses and mix on medium speed until completely combined. Set aside.
    4 eggs
    1/3 cup (73 ⅓ g) light brown sugar
    1/4 cup (84 ¼ g) molasses
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
    1 cup (125 g) cake flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cloves
    1/8 teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt
  • Add flour mixture to egg yolk mixture and beat until just combined.
  • In another large bowl, whip egg whites until foamy soft peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly add granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is added, increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
    4 eggs
    1/3 cup (66 ⅔ g) granulated sugar
  • 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 for 11-14 minutes, or until the cake is spongey and bounces back when touched.
  • 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 (aff link) 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.

Eggnog cream cheese filling:

  • In a large bowl using a stand or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, eggnog, vanilla, and nutmeg on medium speed until well combined.
    8 ounces (226 ⅘ g) Philadelphia Original Brick Cream Cheese
    1/4 cup (56 ¾ g) unsalted butter
    1/4 cup (63 ½ g) eggnog
    1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
    1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) nutmeg
  • Slowly add powdered sugar and turn up to medium high speed to completely combine.
    3/4 cups (90 g) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)

Assemble the cake roll:

  • Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it. 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.
  • Gently re-roll the cake and then move it, seam side down, to a serving platter.
  • Dust with powdered sugar, slice, serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 695IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.

Recipe created by Leslie Kiszka

This post is sponsored by PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese – as always, all opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Stress Baking possible!

Original photos from 2018

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Recipe Rating




29 Comments

  1. This cake felt promising but after following the exact instructions, it cracked in too many places to use as a roll (I ended up using it for a trifle). I also added twice the amount of spice and it was still under flavoured. The filling had zero eggnog flavour as well. I won’t be making this again but I appreciate the concept!

  2. 2 stars
    Unfortunately my cake cracked terribly while rolling. Followed the recipe to the T and it just didn’t turn out. I’ll have to use my filling to also go on the outside I suppose… has anyone else had this issue?

  3. 5 stars
    I have made this delicious amazing Gingerbread Roll, did not have Eggnog, instead made Lemon Cream Cheese filling, Everyone loves it on Thanksgiving Day!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Linda Marie Lambert

    1. Hi Reisha, apologies for my delay in response! You can – 3/4 cup (85 grams) sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch can be substituted for the cake flour.

  4. Followed directions exactly and roll came out perfect! Gingerbread cake is delicious and full of flavor perfect for the holidays. I did add more powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to filling. Thank you for this recipe that will go into the holiday favorite recipes!

  5. Can I make this a day ahead and fill before serving? If so what is the best way to store the gingerbread do you think?

    1. Absolutely! You can make the whole thing and just store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve (just wait to top it with powdered sugar, if you’re going to do that, until just before serving). I actually like it best after a day or two because the flavors really meld together :)

  6. I love this! We made a traditional buche de noel a couple years ago, but haven’t made another cake roll since. I really should try it again. Thanks for the recipe!

  7. What a beautiful cake roll! It’s amazing how the simple act of rolling (well, not simple at all, actually!) takes a cake from ordinary to extraordinary. This is absolutely worthy of being the star of any holiday party.

  8. Oh man! This filling looks killer! I cannot wait to make this. I’m pinning it right now for the holidays!

  9. 5 stars
    Giiiiiiiirrrl, this is RIGHT up my alley! I am gingerbread OBSESSED and that cream cheesey eggnog filling is so holiday perfect.

  10. I’ve always wanted to make a cake roll, and now I will finally do it. That creamy frosting is speaking to me!

  11. 5 stars
    I love the way you write! I love this this roll more than that, lol ! Gingerbread and cream cheese is the perfect combo.

  12. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness I’m loving the cinnamon, cloves and ginger in this recipe! And with the molasses…yum! And I love that this is “perfectly imperfect”! Sounds like my house! This recipe fits with us perfectly! Perfect holiday dessert!

  13. 5 stars
    This time of year I cannot get enough “gingerbread” everything. I am eating some cookies my daughter made right now. This cake sounds so good. I would love to serve this for brunch on the weekend.