Pumpkin Espresso Cake
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This pumpkin espresso cake is incredibly moist with the perfect pumpkin spice flavor and swirls of brown sugar and espresso. It’s drizzled with an espresso glaze for a little extra coffee flavor and sweetness. This bundt cake is warm, comforting and will remind you of your favorite fall coffee.
Why You Should Make this Pumpkin Espresso Cake
This pumpkin espresso cake has an unexpected flavor combo that’s perfect for pumpkin season and perfectly comforting. The recipe starts with a super moist, almost squidgy pumpkin bundt cake. Then there’s a ripple of brown sugar, cinnamon and espresso powder in the middle and a sweet espresso glaze on top. It’s not too sweet and the flavor combo is great if you want something just a little different this pumpkin season.
Why I Made this Recipe
After making my pumpkin spice latte cake earlier this fall, I wanted to experiment more with pumpkin and coffee flavors. I came across a pumpkin espresso bundt cake from King Arthur baking – and I knew I wanted to develop my own version. I already have a pumpkin bundt cake recipe on my blog that has been tested, re-tested, and taste tested to perfection – so I wanted to use that recipe as the starting point for my own pumpkin espresso cake instead of using the version from King Arthur. As well, the King Arthur recipe had a rum glaze – and I wanted to opt for a coffee icing instead.
This pumpkin espresso cake isn’t overly sweet – I love it for morning brunch or a cozy afternoon treat. But it can easily be served as dessert after dinner too. Compared to a pumpkin spice latte – it’s less creamy and has a little more of a punch of coffee. If you prefer less of a coffee flavor, you could also skip the glaze.
Recipe Rundown
This recipe is very straight forward. You’ll need a non-stick 12-cup bundt pan – a light colored pan will reduce over browning on the sides.
You’ll start by making the espresso swirl by whisking together brown sugar, instant espresso powder and a touch of cinnamon with a fork. If you don’t have instant espresso powder, instant coffee that has very fine granules will work too – I find the Starbucks brand of instant coffee works well if you don’t have instant espresso.
Then for the pumpkin cake batter – it’s very straight forward.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients and sugars in a separate bowl: oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, eggs, and sour cream.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. I do this entirely by hand with a wire whisk. There should be no lumps or streaks of flour.
Then it’s time to assemble and bake. Spray the non-stick pan with baking spray or brush with pan release (this can be bought at specialty cake stores or online – I typically just use baking spray because I always have it on hand. To assemble, you’ll alternate between layers of batter and brown sugar espresso mixture.
- Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the greased pan. This is about 2 cups of cake batter.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the espresso mixture on top.
- Spoon another 1/3 of batter on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining espresso mixture on top.
- Spoon the last 1/3 of cake batter on top.
The cake will bake for about 60 minutes in the preheated oven.
Recipe Tip
Bake times will vary depending on your oven and the exact shape of your bundt pan. The cake may take anywhere from 55-70 minutes to bake. When it’s finished, an inserted toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no gooey cake batter. If you’re unsure if the cake is done baking, baking for an extra minute or two is ok – this cake is very unlikely to dry out.
Coffee Icing
After the cake is baked and cooled, it’s topped with an espresso icing. You’ll whisk together a little espresso, powdered sugar, maple syrup and a touch of salt. Then you’ll whisk in a little milk to thin it out. You want the glaze to be opaque but still thin enough to drizzle.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
This cake can be made 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature in an airtight container overnight. You can either make the glaze and pour it on top the day before you plan to serve or the day of – I typically do it the day I plan to serve.
This cake will also freeze well. Whenever freezing a bundt cake, wrap the entire cake going around the hole in the middle with plastic, ensuring that there are no exposed areas. Then place in a freezer safe container or wrap in foil twice. Always thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before serving. Leftover can can also be frozen. Wrap each slice individually, then place in a freezer safe container.
Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12-cup bundt pan
Ingredients
Espresso Swirl
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (67 grams), I used dark for a dark swirl
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour (312 grams)
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil (240 ml)
- 1 cup brown sugar (210 grams), light or dark
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (440 ml), slightly under 2 cups
- ¼ cup sour cream (60 ml), or plain Greek yogurt
Coffee Icing
- 1 tablespoon espresso, freshly brewed, or very strong coffee
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, you can omit if you don't have any on hand
- 1½ cups powdered sugar (162 grams), sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, as needed
Instructions
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Make the espresso swirl. In a small bowl whisk together the ⅓ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
- Make the pumpkin cake batter. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. In a separate large bowl whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, eggs, pumpkin, and sour cream. Keep whisking until there are no lumps of sugar. Gently, whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain
- Assemble the cake. Spray the bundt pan with non-stick baking spray, ensuring that all the crevices are coated. Alternatively, grease and flour the pan or brush with pan release. Spoon about ⅓ of the cake batter (about 2 cups) into the pan. Sprinkle ½ of the espresso filling on top. Then spoon another ⅓ of cake batter on top – so that the espresso filling is covered. Sprinkle the remaining ½ of espresso filling on top. Lastly, spoon the remaining cake batter on top.
- Bake the cake in the middle of the preheated oven for 55-70 minutes. When finished, an inserted toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist cake crumbs. There may be some of the brown sugar espresso filling on the toothpick but there should be no gooey cake batter. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan for about 20-30 minutes, then very carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Coffee Icing
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled first. In a medium bowl whisk together the espresso (or coffee), maple syrup, powdered sugar and salt. Then gently whisk in a little milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until the icing is thin enough to drizzle, but opaque in color. If you want the icing to be a little thicker – then whisk in a little more powdered sugar.
- Ensure that the cake is on the plate that you plan to serve it from. Pour/drizzle the icing over the top of the cake. If the cake is still warm, it will cause the icing to melt as opposed to harden.
Notes
- Instant Espresso Powder: Do not use coffee granules – they will not impart a coffee flavor onto the cake. Instant coffee can be used as a substitute if needed, just be sure that they are very fine granules.
- Pumpkin Puree: Be sure you are using 100% pure pumpkin and not canned pumpkin pie filling – these 2 ingredients are not interchangeable.
- Nutrition: Details are an estimate only based on 1 slice – assuming the cake is sliced into 12 uniform pieces and all the icing is used.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
