This perfect Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that is great for the holidays and the fall season. It is packed with pumpkin and warm spices and drizzled with cinnamon cream cheese icing. It’s incredible!
Pumpkin Bundt Cake! Definition: Thick and tender cake flavored with pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. The whole thing is drizzled (generously, of course) with cinnamon cream cheese icing. Is it beautiful? Yes. Incredibly delicious? Yes. Perfect for feeding a crowd? Obviously. Let’s make it!
Prefer apple? Try our Apple Cider Donut Cake. Prefer orange? Try our Orange Bundt Cake.
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Recipe overview
Pumpkin cake: Begin by making the cake batter. Beat butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and, butterm po a whole can of pumpkin puree. Beat in dry ingredients (a combination of flour, leavening, spices, and salt). Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan and bake.
Cinnamon cream cheese frosting: A combination of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. I thin out the frosting with a couple tablespoons of milk to make it easy to drizzle over the cooled cake.
What makes this recipe work
A combination of butter and oil. Butter for flavor and oil for moisture.
One whole 15-oz can of pumpkin puree makes this cake a beautiful shade of orange and adds flavor and moisture.
The best spice mixture. I use a combination of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ground star anise to complement the pumpkin perfectly.
Cinnamon cream cheese frosting! Cream cheese frosting is an incredible pairing with pumpkin cake and the addition of cinnamon makes it even better. I like to thin out the frosting so that it can be drizzled over the cake and drip down the sides.
Recipe tips
Grease your bundt pan really well. I find that a non-stick spray that contains flour works the best. Wait to spray the pan until right before you add the batter.
Use a 12-cup bundt pan. This cake is quite large so a 12-cup pan bundt pan works best.
Use canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. Libby’s is my favorite brand because it always consistent in terms of color, flavor, consistency, and moisture content.
Allow the cake to cool completely (several hours) before adding the icing.
Serving and storage
SERVING: The flavor and texture of this cake is best when served at room temperature.
STORAGE: This cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, bringing slices to room temperature before serving. Individual slices can be frozen for up to three months. If freezing the whole cake I would do so without the frosting and add it after thawing.
More pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Muffins – Soft and fluffy pumpkin muffins with a brown sugar crumble.
- Pumpkin Pudding Cake – A pumpkin spice cake that magically bakes up with a brown sugar caramel sauce right underneath it.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – A combination of pumpkin pie and creamy cheesecake on a graham cracker crust.
- Pumpkin Pie Bars – An easy twist on traditional pumpkin pie!
- Pumpkin Cupcakes – Fluffy and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with maple cream cheese frosting.
Recipe
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2½ cups all purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground star anise, optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- milk (a couple tablespoons), to thin
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs, beat until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla, beating until combined and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and beat until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Thoroughly grease a 12-cup bundt pan (I use nonstick baking spray with flour). Pour the batter into the pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a long toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the cake from the pan and place the cake directly on the wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and combined. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, beating on low speed then increasing to high (scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed). Once well combined, begin adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I used between 2-3 tablespoons, I wanted the frosting thin enough to drizzle. To frost the cake as I did, add the frosting to a piping bag with the edge snipped off (I did not use a tip). Beginning on the interior of the bundt, squeeze the frosting while bringing the bag up the cake and over the side, then back up again (in a back and forth-zigzag type of pattern). Store in the fridge or at cool room temp.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Nellie Tracy
Fantastic bundt cake recipe! Can’t wait to make this all fall long!
Judith
Hu! I am excited to make this cake! Just wondering if the start anise has adds a licorice taste to the cake? It doesn’t seem like a lot but it says it’s optional so just wanted to see how noticeable it is.
Judith
Sorry, apparently I don’t type well😂
Allison
Hi, Judith. I find that the star anise does add a very slight licorice flavor. I think it works really well when used with the other spices in this recipe. I served this cake at a gathering and no one commented about any licorice flavor. If you’re worried about it you can use less or just leave it out. Enjoy!
I. Lindberg
The only change I made was I had real pumpkin and used 2 cups and no ground star anise.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jerry
Hey Allison thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’m really excited to make this cake. However, I’m unsure whether it’d be wise to bake it a day in advance and then the day I’d serve pipe on the icing. Would love to hear back thank you!
Allison
Hi, Jerry. Yes, that will work just fine. Enjoy!
Rose
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made this for my family this Thanksgiving and they absolutely loved it! I reduced the sugar just a bit and added maple extract to the frosting, and it was still delicious! It had just the right amount of spice. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!!!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!