Deliciously moist Pumpkin Bundt Cake, lightly spiced with luxurious cream cheese glaze on top - the perfect dessert (or even breakfast) for fall time!
Reader Review:
By far the best pumpkin cake I've tried, it didn't last one day in my home!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Niki
Pumpkin is such a versatile flavor and is the base of so many of my fall dessert recipes. It can make creamy pumpkin desserts, like my Pumpkin Creme Brulee, chewy snacks, like my Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, or wonderfully soft cakes and breads, like this pumpkin bundt cake recipe. The pumpkin flavor works so beautifully with the warm fall spices, and the texture is just perfection.
This is the best pumpkin bundt cake you will ever make. It's super easy and is a huge hit in the fall months. If pumpkin spice is your favorite thing, give this a try right away!
Pumpkin spice and cream cheese are a match made in heaven. If you love this combo as much as i do, you might also like my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins recipe, or my Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
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Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Bundt Cake:
- Foolproof recipe for a super moist bundt cake.
- Packed with real pumpkin flavor, warm spices, and an irresistable cream cheese glaze.
- A fresh and delicious recipe for a breakfast treat or a Thanksgiving dessert.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
- Butter - Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the pumpkin cake.
- Sugar - We'll use two kinds of sugar in this recipe, the first is regular white sugar (superfine sugar, or caster sugar in the UK).
- Light Brown Sugar - The second kind of sugar is light brown sugar, this will add some depth to the flavor as well as contribute to making a nice moist cake.
- Eggs - Use large eggs and always free-range if you can.
- Pumpkin Purée - Make sure you buy canned pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. The cans look very similar but the contents are very different. Look for 100% pure pumpkin puree, the pumpkin pie mix contains all kinds of extra ingredients and sweeteners and we just want that lovely pumpkin!
- Flour - Use All-purpose flour in this bundt cake, we want it to have a nice structure, and cake flour could make it too soft and breakable. Don't worry, this recipe will still be plenty soft!
- Milk - The milk adds to the texture of the cake. Whole milk is best but you can use whatever milk you have.
- Warm Spices - I used ground cinnamon and ground ginger in my pumpkin cake, but really you can use any combination of individual spices you like, or you can use a premade pumpkin pie spice instead.
- Vanilla - Vanilla is used in the cake and in the glaze for a nice base that ties everything together. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Cream Cheese - This will be used for the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake. I use Philadelphia, but any kind of soft cream cheese will do the trick.
- Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar - this is the powder-like sugar that will go into the glaze.
Make sure all your chilled ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recommended Equipment
- Bundt Pan - I used a standard size which is a 10-inch bundt pan. You can use other sizes but the thickness and bake time will vary slightly.
- Stand Mixer - or hand mixer, or a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Cooling Rack - this is essential for flipping the bundt cake out while it's still warm - it must be big enough to fit the entire cake on it without hanging over the edge.
How to Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Before starting, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and generously grease your bundt pan. I like to use bake spray, but you can use cooking spray, butter, or cake goop - the important thing is that you get into every little corner of the pan so there is nowhere for the cake to get stuck and break.
Cream Butter and Sugars
Cream together the butter and both sugars. I did this in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but you can use an electric mixer or even just a large bowl, a wooden spoon, and a bit of elbow grease.
Beat in Eggs
Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition at medium speed.
Wet Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients, including the pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla. Mix just until combined.
Don't worry if the cake batter looks a little curdled at this stage, it will even out once the flour is added.
Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
Mix until combined and then add the flour mixture to the cake batter. Mix on a low speed until combined.
Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl to get any unmixed flour.
Bake
Pour the pumpkin cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
This is a very moist cake so if it comes out with some moist crumbs on the skewer that's okay too.
Unmold and Cool
Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit on the worktop for exactly 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack - it should come out easily.
Let the bundt cake cool completely before adding the cream cheese glaze.
Tip: I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's very difficult to measure accurately with cups and this can mess up your bakes.
Make the Cream Cheese Glaze
This cream cheese glaze recipe is an adaptation of the Maple Cream Cheese Glaze I use in my Pumpkin Donut Recipe and my Maple Pecan Bundt Cake Recipes. It's thicker, more tangy, and less sweet, which I feel complements the pumpkin cake well.
- Cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until there are no more lumps.
- Check the consistency of the glaze, if you would like it to be more runny, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk and mix (or add as much as it takes to reach the right consistency you are looking for). If you want it thick, leave it as is.
- Spread, spoon, or pipe the glaze over the top of the cooled pumpkin bundt cake. I like to use a piping bag for ultimate control over where the drips fall, but you can also just pour it over.
Best Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe Variations
- Pumpkin Nut Bundt Cake - For some extra crunch, try adding some chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake batter before pouring it into the bundt pan.
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake - Add some chocolate chips to the mixture for some extra luxury in every bite.
- Different forms - You can use this easy pumpkin bundt cake recipe in other forms - use a regular cake pan to make a regular round cake, use a mini bundt cake pan for mini pumpkin bundt cakes, or even just as a sheet cake for soft pumpkin bars.
Serving Suggestions for Pumpkin Bundt Cake
The cream cheese glaze already does all the talking in this recipe, but there are a few tasty additions to serve with your pumpkin bundt cake that will compliment it beautifully.
- Nuts - Add toasted pecans or walnuts inside or sprinkled over your bundt cake to give each slice a crunchy, nutty finish.
- Ice Cream - A classic pairing for any cosy dessert is a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce or maple syrup.
- Fruit - Fresh berries will add a lovely color and a fresh note to balance out the richness of the bundt cake.
How to Store Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Before you frost your delicious pumpkin bundt cake, it's best to store it at room temperature. Once it has the glaze on however, it will need to be kept in the fridge because we use cream cheese in the glaze. Either way, keep it in an airtight container to keep it soft and moist. It should last for about 5 days like this.
More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
If you love baking with pumpkin in the fall season (or any season, really), check out some of my favorite pumpkin recipes - from pumpkin cupcakes to pumpkin cookies - there's bound to be something you love.
Recipe
Best Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- 1 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter 170g (room temperature)
- 1 cup Superfine Sugar 200g
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar 165g
- 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour 300g
- ⅓ cup Whole Milk 80g / 80ml (room temperature)
- 1 can Pumpkin Puree 15oz / 425g
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 oz Cream Cheese 113g (room temperature)
- ½ stick Unsalted Butter 57g (room temperature)
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar 120g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon Whole Milk (optional)
Instructions
Make the Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C and generously grease your bundt pan.
- Cream the butter and both sugars together.1 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter, 1 cup Superfine Sugar, ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.3 Large Eggs
- Add the pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla, beat until just combined.⅓ cup Whole Milk, 1 can Pumpkin Puree, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Then add to the cake batter and mix in until combined.2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger, 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake sit in the pan for exactly 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a cooling rack - it should come out easily. Let it cool completely before adding the glaze.
Make the Cream Cheese Glaze
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are both at room temperature, then beat them together until creamy and smooth.4 oz Cream Cheese, ½ stick Unsalted Butter
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until there are no lumps.1 cup Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- For a more runny glaze, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk, or as much as it takes to get the desired thickness.2 tablespoon Whole Milk
- Spread, spoon, or pipe the glaze onto the cooled pumpkin bundt cake. Dust with a light sprinkling of cinnamon for decoration.
Notes
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Niki Svoronos
By far the best pumpkin cake I've tried, it didn't last one day in my home!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe
Jules Grasekamp
Aw I'm so happy to hear that Niki! Thank you for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Jules
Chris Radwanski
This is the most pumpkiny cake I’ve ever eaten! Super soft, and perfectly spiced. I’ll admit I ate this for breakfast.. and I’ll do it again. SO GOOD!
Lewis
This looks unreal and perfect for winter nights!
Susan Grasekamp
I’m so lucky I got to taste this actual cake! It’s super moist, rich and delightfully autumny! Can’t wait for the next recipe (or another round of your cinnamon swirls:) Mum xx