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Home » Fall Favorites » Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Published: Sep 22, 2021 · Modified: Jan 7, 2022 by Allison · 31 Comments

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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 drizzled with white icing sitting on a white plate next to gold forks.

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.

Jump to:
  • Recipe overview
  • What makes this recipe work
  • Recipe tips
  • Serving and storage
  • More pumpkin recipes
  • Recipe
Slice of pumpkin bundt cake on a white plate with a gold fork.

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.

Pumpkin bundt cake batter in a large bowl and in a bundt pan.

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.

Slice of pumpkin bundt cake on a gold spatula.

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 drizzled with white icing sitting on a white plate.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

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!
5 from 28 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 14
Calories: 444kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

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

*To measure the flour: fluff the flour several times with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.
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. 

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 5191IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Melissa

    February 05, 2023 at 3:13 pm

    Do you think this could hold up as a layered cake?

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 08, 2023 at 8:26 am

      Hi, Melissa. I would assume so. You’ll definitely need more frosting. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Jan B

    April 25, 2023 at 3:30 pm

    5 stars
    This was fabulous! Followed the recipe as written except that I doubled the spices. Cake was moist and delicate (not heavy) and my family raved about it. Frosting was terrific as well. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 28, 2023 at 8:40 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking time to comment. 🙂

      Reply
    • Donna

      August 26, 2023 at 6:48 am

      5 stars
      Has anyone made this without the Star Anise?? Was it still good?? It looks absolutely wonderful!!

      Reply
  3. Trish Vigil

    April 29, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    5 stars
    I made this cake for work and for family and they absolutely loved it. So moist and the cream cheese frosting with a hint of cinnamon is my new go to recipe. Instead of adding milk (don’t buy milk or drink it) I used coffee mate cinnamon sugar creamer (use in my coffee) and it was so delicious.

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 01, 2023 at 10:07 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    August 20, 2023 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    This is exceptionally moist and flavorful. Thrilled with the results and I will make it again, soon. Cinnamon icing is a great twist on cream cheese icing. My husband ate it right up.

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 21, 2023 at 10:13 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Cheryl Kain

    September 25, 2023 at 10:36 am

    5 stars
    I have made this yummy recipe in a Bundt Pan but have you or can it be made in loaf pans?
    Thank you, Cheryl

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 25, 2023 at 10:44 am

      Hi, Cheryl. I have only made the recipe as written so I can’t say for sure. I would assume you could use loaf pans, you’ll just have to play around with it. Enjoy!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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