One of the best pumpkin desserts, this pumpkin bundt cake recipe is super moist, dense, and loaded with pumpkin flavor! Topped with maple pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting and glazed pecans, this is the best pumpkin cake you’ll ever bake! And baking in a bundt cake pan is so much easy!
Super Moist Pumpkin Bundt Cake
I’ll take pumpkin cake in pretty much any form! Pumpkin cupcakes? Yes, please! Pumpkin coffee cake? Duh! And pumpkin cake with chocolate chips? It’a a no brainer!
But pumpkin bundt cake might just be my favorite version of pumpkin cake! An easy dessert that’s fancy enough to serve for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. And, it pairs so well with coffee and tea that you could serve this for breakfast or brunch, too.
Super moist, dense, and exploding with pumpkin flavor in every bite, this is the ultimate pumpkin cake recipe! I dive into the ingredients below and have notes for substitutions where applicable.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe: Ingredients
- Eggs: 5 large eggs give this cake a dense and super moist texture. Use eggs that are at room temperature and add eggs one at a time.
- Sugar: Brown sugar and granulated sugar are used in the cake. And confectioners sugar aka powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Pumpkin: Look for canned pumpkin puree aka packed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. Because homemade pumpkin purees all contain different amounts of moisture, I don’t recommend them for this recipe.
- Molasses: My secret ingredient for making pumpkin desserts taste EXTRA pumpkin-y. I suggest using regular molasses, not blackstrap.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds sweet vanilla flavor and helps enhance the other flavors in the recipe.
- Oil: I use vegetable oil, but canola oil or melted coconut oil will also work.
- Buttermilk: I use full-fat buttermilk, and do not recommend homemade versions as their results are not consistent. But in a pinch, you can try subbing your own homemade buttermilk.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used for this recipe. I HIGHLY suggest weighing your flour using a digital kitchen scale.
- Rising Agents: Use fresh baking powder and baking soda to ensure your cake spreads and rises properly.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. To simplify your ingredient list, sub a Tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese… this is not the place to cut back on saturated fat. I don’t recommend subbing any other ingredient for cream cheese!
- Butter: I use unsalted butter, but salted butter will work. Omit the salt called for in the frosting. And be sure your butter is room temperature before use.
- Maple Syrup: You don’t need fancy maple syrup, but I suggest using real maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
- Milk: I suggest using whole milk, but in a pinch, any milk works.
- Pecans: I love decorating this pumpkin cake with sweet and crunchy pecans! Buy glazed pecans from the grocery store or make your own candied pecans with this recipe!
How to Make Bundt Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat Oven: This is a large and heavy cake. So to ensure it bakes evenly, bake it for a longer time, at a lower temperature, of 325 degrees (F). Do not preheat oven to 350!
- Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing just until combined. Once you’ve added the dry ingredients, don’t over mix. Over mixing causes a dry cake.
Pour the Batter into The Prepared Pan
- Prep Bundt Cake Pan: Use nonstick baking spray to generously spray every nook and cranny. Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top.
- Bake: In the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. This usually takes around 55 to 60 minutes to bake, depending on your oven and bundt cake pan.
- Cool : Place the bundt cake pan on a wire rack and cool for exactly 12 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the wire rack and cool completely. Be patient, this takes about 2 hours.
How to Decorate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Want to copy the way I decorated my pumpkin Bundt Cake? You can easily do so with a few tips and tools:
- Make sure the frosting is the proper consistency! It should be smooth and creamy, but not drippy at all. If it appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.
- Scrape the frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open round piping tip. Then zigzag the frosting in lines on top of the cake.
- Top the frosting with plenty of glazed or candied pecans. You could also use fall colored sprinkles or pumpkin candies instead. Or simply dust with powdered sugar!
Equipment Needed:
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
One of the best pumpkin desserts, this pumpkin bundt cake recipe is super moist, dense, and loaded with pumpkin flavor! Topped with maple pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting and glazed pecans, this is the best pumpkin cake you’ll ever bake! And baking in a bundt cake pan is so much easy!
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bundt Cake:
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (319g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
- (1) 15 ounce can pure packed pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 3 Tablespoons (42ml) molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (170ml) buttermilk room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (113g) cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups (228g) confectioners’ sugar sifted, more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1 cup glazed pecans for decor, optional
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Bundt Cake:
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F). In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well combined.
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Add the sugars, pumpkin puree, molasses, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk, and whisk until well combined. Set aside until needed.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt until well combined.
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Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Set aside.
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Using nonstick baking spray, generously spray every nook and cranny of a 10-cup Bundt Cake pan.
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Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool cake, in the bundt pan, placed on a wire cooling rack, for 12 minutes (set a timer). Then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
For the Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-speed until completely smooth.
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Reduce speed to low and gradually add in confectioners’ sugar, beating until all of the sugar is completely combined.
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Add in vanilla, pumpkin spice, and salt, and beat smooth. Beat in maple syrup and milk.
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Once all ingredients have been incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat for two minutes, or until fluffy.
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If frosting looks too thin, beat in more confectioners’ sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time. If frosting looks too thick, beat in more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired texture has been reached.
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Frost cake as desired. To achieve a similar look to how the cake is decorated in the photos, scrape the frosting into a large frosting pipe that’s fitted with a round open piping tip. Then pipe the frosting in lines, back and forth, around the top of the cake. Top the frosting with glazed pecans, if desired. Slice and serve!
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