Hands down – the best pumpkin bundt cake! This recipe is incredibly flavorful with warm spices, pumpkin and lots of vanilla. It’s moist and perfectly dense (just like you want in a bundt cake) with a soft cake crumb . The cake batter comes together with very little effort, and you’ll love how warm and cozy this tastes.

I’ve added a maple glaze on top in the photos below – but it’s equally delicious with cream cheese glaze (I’ve included the recipe for that too!)

Ingredients Needed

• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda – I found the combo gives the best rise
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – I used the mix, but I’ve included a substitution using cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in the recipe notes
• Salt – to balance out the flavor.
• Vegetable Oil – the oil keeps the cake moist for longer than using butter, and because the cake is so flavorful, you won’t miss any of the flavor from using butter
• Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar – the brown sugar adds a delicious hint of caramel flavor
• Eggs – they should be at room temperature before getting started
• Vanilla Extract
• Orange Zest – this really brightens up the flavor
• Sour Cream – this addition keeps the cake extremely moist and allows it to hold its shape
• Pumpkin Puree – I always use canned, but you could make your own. Be sure that you didn’t purchase pumpkin pie filling

Method – with Photos

1. Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 350F (180C) and greasing the bundt pan. I always use a non-stick pan.
2. Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients – flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat the Wet Ingredients & Sugars. In a separate large bowl beat together the oil, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest, sour cream and pumpkin. You could also use a wire whisk and do this by hand.

4. Combine the Wet & Dry Ingredients. I make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the well. I do a few stirs by hand first using a rubber spatula, then beat or whisk until smooth. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
5. Bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake. It will need about 55-65 minutes.

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

This is always a bit tricky – but I always use all 3 of the methods below.

• 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 55-65 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. 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.

Topping Ideas

I’ve included the recipe for both maple glaze and cream cheese glaze in the recipe below. Other delicious topping ideas include:

• Frost the entire cake with cream cheese frosting. You can find my recipe for cream cheese frosting here.
• Make a chocolate chip pumpkin bundt cake. Add in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and frost with chocolate frosting. (Or you could use the cream cheese glaze).
• Skip the glaze and serve with whipped cream.
• Drizzle with salted caramel sauce or butterscotch sauce.

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), then wrap with foil or place in a large freezer container. Thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before topping with glaze. Do not thaw at room temperature – otherwise the cake can become gummy.