Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Hands down – the best pumpkin cake you’ll ever try! This moist pumpkin bundt cake has a delicious pumpkin flavor, is filled with warm spices, and topped with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze. Way easier than making pumpkin pie – it’s the perfect dessert for fall. 

I’ve made a lot of pumpkin desserts in my day, and I’ve taste-tested about 1000 more. But I can honestly say that this pumpkin bundt cake is my new favorite. It has:

• a pumpkin flavor that’s reminiscent of your favorite pumpkin pie
• a super moist, ridiculously tender cake crumb
• a little drizzle of sweet and tangy cream cheese glaze (but feel free to add a thick layer of cream cheese frosting instead).

I’ll happily bake this for an easy fall dessert, then eat the leftovers mid-morning the next day. And it fits the bill if you’re looking for a pumpkin dessert that’s easy, comforting, and makes everyone ask for a second piece. 

Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe

This recipe is super straight forward (aka way easier than making pumpkin pie):

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate large bowl beat together the oil, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla extract.
3. Carefully beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about ½ at a time. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake.

How do You Know When a Bundt Cake is Done Baking?

This is always a bit tricky – but I always use 3 methods:

• Insert a toothpick or cake tester. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Gently press on the top of the cake – it should feel slightly firm/ springy to the touch and you shouldn’t be able to make an indent.
• Look at the sides of the cake. They should be starting to pull away from the edges.

This cake will bake for 60-70 minutes. **Note that oven bake times can vary by 10-15%** When in doubt – bake the cake for a few more minutes. This cake is very moist so the chances of it drying out are slim/non-existent. If your bundt cake is gummy or starts to sink – that means it wasn’t baked for long enough.

If you’d like more handy dandy tips on making bundt cakes – you can also check out this post here too, where I go through more detail of how to get a bundt cake out the pan, freezing tips, choosing the right bundt pan, etc.

Can I Use Pumpkin Pie Filling Instead of Pumpkin Puree/ Pure Pumpkin?

No, unfortunately, canned pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling includes sugar, thickeners, and many other ingredients and therefore will not yield the desired results.

Variations of This Bundt Cake

• Frost the entire cake with cream cheese frosting instead of a drizzle of glaze. You can find my recipe for cream cheese frosting here.
• Make a chocolate chip pumpkin bundt cake. Add in 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and frost with chocolate frosting. (Or you could use the cream cheese glaze).
• Skip the glaze and serve with whipped cream.
• Or drizzle with chocolate ganache. You can find my recipe here.

Make-Ahead Instructions:

• Cake can be made 1-2 days in advance. Cool fully (inverting the cake after 20 minutes), then cover and store either in the fridge or at room temperature. Bring the cake to room temperature if you stored it in the fridge, then top with glaze the day you plan to serve.
• Unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool fully, then wrap tightly in plastic (go around the ring shape instead of over to prevent freezer burn). Thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before topping with glaze.

For more pumpkin treats, be sure to try:

• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Print Recipe

4.96 from 25 votes

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Hands down - the best pumpkin cake you'll ever try! This moist pumpkin bundt cake has a delicious pumpkin flavor, is filled with warm spices, and topped with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze. Way easier than making pumpkin pie - it's the perfect dessert for fall. 

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bundt cake, from scratch, Moist, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Desserts

Servings: 14 pieces

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice *or make your own - see recipe notes
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil or canola
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling

Cream Cheese Glaze

• 1 tablespoon butter softened
• 3 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar or more as needed
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup capacity bundt pan, or brush with pan release.*
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate very large bowl beat together the oil, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and pumpkin puree until smooth.
• Carefully beat the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture about ½ at a time.
• Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the top feels slightly firm to the touch.
• Cool the cake in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Then carefully insert the pan, to let the cake slide out and continue cooling on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Glaze

• In a medium bowl beat together the butter and cream cheese until soft. (Or whisk by hand).
• Beat in the powdered sugar followed by the milk.
• Beat in a little extra powdered sugar or milk if needed, until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle.
• Transfer the cooled cake to a plate, and drizzle the glaze on top.
• Slice into pieces and serve.

Notes

*You can make your own pumpkin pie spice with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves.

**To make your own homemade pan release - you can find my recipe here. I find pan release works best for getting the bundt cake out of the pan.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.5mg