This moist, spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a delicious fall treat that’s easy to whip up. Customize your cake with one of four different finishing options for a beautiful presentation.
Why I Love This Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Over the years, I’ve tried so many recipes for Pumpkin Bundt Cake. They’ve all been delicious (I’d never turn down a slice!), but the texture always reminded me of pumpkin bread.
Bundt cakes are, by nature, a little denser than other cakes. The pans’ distinct shapes and designs do need a very moist batter. Still, for a Pumpkin Bunt, I was craving something a little more cakey and less like a quick bread that just happened to be baked in a Bundt.
So, I turned to my late Aunt Ellen’s pumpkin bread recipe, and started tweaking. Two main swaps made all the difference: I used vegetable oil instead of butter to make the cake exceptionally moist, and cake flour instead of all-purpose for a slightly lighter crumb.
The result was everything I was looking for. A dense yet tender, spiced pumpkin cake that’s just begging to be finished with a drizzle (or more) of glaze on a crisp autumn day.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Your Cake
Almost all of the ingredients to make this Pumpkin Bundt Cake are refrigerator and pantry staples, so you can have this recipe on repeat all fall long. You’ll need:
- Cake flour (measured using a spoon and sweep method)
- Ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove)
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree (canned solid pack pumpkin)
- Vegetable or canola oil (makes the cake moist)
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped, toasted pecans (optional but highly recommended)
How to Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake
One of the things I love most about Bundt cakes is that they aren’t particularly fussy to make. The batter itself comes together in less than 15 minutes.
- Prep the Oven and Pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour your favorite Bundt pan, or give it a spray with baking spray (such as Bak-Klene or Baker’s Joy.)
- Prep the Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder and baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside. (Photo 01)
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars until light in color. (Use a hand mixer instead of a whisk if you want to skip the arm workout.) Whisk or beat in pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. (Photos 02-03)
- Make the Cake Batter. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in 3 additions, mixing just to combine. For a tender cake crumb, don’t over-mix. (Photo 04)
- Add Nuts. Fold in the chopped pecans, if using. Don’t skip the toasting step, it adds great flavor! (Photos 05 – 06)
- Bake. Pour the batter into the pan. Give it a tap on the counter, and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. (Photos 07-08)
- Cool. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before finishing with your favorite topping.
Ways to Finish The Cake
One of the fun parts about this cake is that you have finishing options, from simple and classic to rich and decadent. Here are our favorites:
- Powdered Sugar. If you’re someone who likes desserts that aren’t quite as sweet, a light dusting of powdered sugar is a beautiful way to finish the inverted cake on its platter.
- Brown Butter Glaze (pictured). Add another element of toasty, nutty flavor with a powdered sugar glaze made with brown butter (beurre noisette). Serving adults? Spike the glaze with a splash of bourbon.
- Maple Glaze. Make a classic powdered sugar glaze with maple syrup to amp up the fall flavor.
- Cream Cheese Glaze.Pumpkin desserts and cream cheese are a match made in heaven! This glaze is a great way to add a bit of tanginess to offset the cake’s sweet-spicy flavors.
Serving and Storing Your Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Bundt Cake is delicious the day it’s baked, but it’s even better on Day 2. The pumpkin puree and oil really get a chance to mingle overnight and create a moist, delectable crumb. It also gives the spices a chance to blossom.
This is a great cake to serve with coffee or tea, especially if you’re having friends over for dessert. I also may or may not have eaten a slice of this cake for breakfast on more than one occasion. No shame!
If you aren’t finishing the cake with a glaze that needs to be refrigerated, you can store the Bundt on your countertop, tightly covered, for up to 3 days (it never lasts that long in my house!). If refrigerating a glazed cake, let the it stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
More Great Pumpkin Recipes for Fall:
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Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2-3/4 cups non self-rising cake flour (measured with a spoon-and-level method)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (omit for a less spiced cake)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs , room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar , lightly-packed
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (1 can, not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional, but recommended)
- powdered sugar or glaze , for serving (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until light. Add pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just combined. (Don't overmix.) Fold in chopped pecans, if using.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Cool the cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar, or drizzle with your choice of cake glaze such as Cream Cheese Glaze, Brown Butter Glaze, or Powdered Sugar Glaze with Maple. If glazing the cake, a few chopped toasted or caramelized pecans on the top make a pretty finish.
Notes
Glaze ideas and recipes:
Powdered Sugar Glaze, made with the maple syrup variation. Cream Cheese Glaze Brown Butter Glaze (optional: spike it with a little bourbon for the adults!) If using cream cheese glaze or brown butter glaze and refrigerating the cake for storage, let it stand at room temperature (72 degrees F or less) for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
I made this last week with my niece, it came out amazing!!! My family said it was one of the best cakes they ever had.