Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
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It’s time! Enjoy this gorgeous pumpkin bundt cake recipe as you cozy up by the fire and celebrate the changing of seasons. Everything you love about Fall can be summed up by this cake.
As Fall approaches, I get so excited thinking about all the flavors of Autumn gracing our table. I love baking with pumpkin spice; it’s such a warm and inviting flavor. We already have so many great pumpkin recipes on the site, like this Pumpkin Bread Pudding, our Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Recipe, or this Pumpkin Apple Bread with Streusel Topping.
The texture of this cake is moist, light and fluffy. It’s not so much pumpkin to be overwhelming, and the spices meld so beautifully that it tastes like Fall on a plate. Keep reading to get all the instructions, tips, and tricks to make the cake perfectly every time.
Why You’ll Love Our Recipe for Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pure Comfort. The blend of warm spices and rich pumpkin will be the delight of everyone in your family. From the smell of our pumpkin spice bundt cake recipe as it bakes, to the first bite, it brings “home” to the table.
- So easy. You don’t have to get fancy or complicated to make an amazing homemade cake everyone loves.
- To-die-for texture. You won’t believe how light, fluffy, and moist this cake is. You can eat it without frosting it’s so good!
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
- All-Purpose Flour. Bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Combining these two leavening agents helps create the perfect height and texture.
- Spices. Ground Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg, Ground Ginger, Salt, Ground Cloves
- Salted Butter.
- Sugar. White granulated sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar. You can use dark brown sugar if you want.
- Eggs. I always use large eggs in my recipes.
- Canned Pumpkin Puree. Do not confuse this with pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure extract if you’ve got it.
- Milk. Whole milk is recommended for the fat content which will produce a fluffy super moist cake.
Ingredients for the Glaze
- Powdered Sugar.
- Milk or Heavy Cream. Just enough liquid to make the glaze smooth.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure extract if you’ve got it.
How To Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.
Step One. Get everything ready for the perfect pumpkin bundt cake recipe.
Preheat your oven so that the cake cooks evenly and doesn’t get too done on the outside before the inside is ready. Butter your pan with a pastry brush or paper towel.
Step Two. Mix dry ingredients.
Use a large mixing bowl to blend the flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda using a wire whisk. Set that aside.
Step Three. Mix the liquid ingredients.
Start by creaming the fat and sugar for the recipe. Then add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Do not add the milk yet.
Step Four. Combine the wet and dry ingredients using milk as a buffer.
Add the flour, about ⅓ of the mixture alternating with some of the milk. Mix well before adding more flour and milk. Do not overmix.
Step Five. Fill the Pan and Bake your Pumpkin Bundt Cake. Cool.
When the cake is almost cool, make the glaze.
Step Six. Mix the Glaze Ingredients.
Just put it all in a bowl and combine. Once the cake is cool, drizzle it with the glaze. Let it set for a few minutes before serving the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a bundt pan?
No, you don’t, but make sure you don’t over-fill the pan more than 2⁄3 to 3⁄4 cup full. See my free printable pan conversion chart.
When can I tell that my entire cake is ready and done baking in the oven?
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 43 minutes. The cooking time is 40 minutes, but whenever I bake a bundt cake, I always check sooner. I checked at 30 minutes. The cake is cooked when the toothpick you insert in the middle comes back clean.
How To Store Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Best way to store Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Once the cake has cooled, place it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake?
Yes. Freeze a whole cake or individual slices. Wrap the cake completely or store it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature or thaw a single slice in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds at a time until ready.
Tips for the perfect Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Do not over-mix the cake batter when you blend wet and dry ingredients. You want to stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients have disappeared.
- Place a sheet pan under the bundt cake pan in your oven to make removing the pan super easy.
- Turning the cake halfway through the baking time will ensure an even bake all the way around.
- Don’t over bake. Doing so will cause your cake to become dry and dense.
Variations
- You can choose to frost or make a glaze. For variety, I recommend the amazing glaze we made here or a cream cheese frosting as I did with our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe, a cream cheese glaze that we used with our Pumpkin Donuts, or this amazing Caramel Icing recipe. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
- If you want to simplify, you could dust it with a little powdered sugar as I did with our Kentucky Butter Cake.
- Make it spicy: If you like Fall flavors but don’t want them to hint at pepper, omit the ground cloves.
- Make it kid-friendly: omit the ground cloves and ginger. The cinnamon will shine through, and the allspice will bring up the flavors to make it a comfort food cake for many occasions. Speaking of the kiddos, add chocolate chips!
- Add chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Turn the cake out onto a beautiful cake platter for serving and presenting this special Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe to guests as a beautiful Fall dessert, a special event, or a holiday gathering.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check these out!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup salted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1¼ cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk whole milk recommended
Glaze
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Butter the inside of a bundt cake pan (I used a 10 cup bundt pan).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the unbleached all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, allspice, ground nutmeg, ginger, salt, and ground cloves. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, combine butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each.
- Add the canned pumpkin puree and the vanilla extract. Mix until the mixture is all combined.
- Add the flour, about ⅓ of the mixture alternating with the milk. Mix well until adding more flour.
- *NOTE* When adding the flour, you can still use your hand mixer or use a mixing spoon, or your danish dough whisk.
- Once all the ingredients have been incorporated stop mixing. As soon as you don’t have any more dry flour stop mixing and pour the mixture into your prepared bundt cake pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 43 minutes. The cooking time is 40 minutes, but whenever I bake a bundt cake I always check sooner. I checked at 30 minutes. The cake is baked when the toothpick you insert in the middle comes back clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for 3 to 4 minutes in the pan.
- Gently release the side of the cake from the pan and invert the pan on a cooling rack.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting it.
Glaze
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.
- Mix all the ingredients into a bowl until combined.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
- Allow a few minutes for the glaze to set.
Notes
- Texture & Flavors: Moist, fluffy, airy. Not overly pumpkin flavor and all the spices blend well together to make the cake taste like Fall
- You can choose to make a glaze or you can also make a cream cheese buttercream.
- The cake is very light and moist, you can eat it as is, without glaze or frosting.
- It is excellent served with a glass of milk, coffee, or tea.
- Make it kid-friendly: omit the ground cloves and ginger. the cake will be cinnamon and the allspice will bring up the flavors to make it a comfort food cake for many occasions. Add sprinkles!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Hi there,
Two questions….
Several comments mentioned the use of buttermilk, but the recipe calls for whole milk?????
and
a comment mentioned cream cheese/cinnamon frosting, but the one mentioned in this recipe is a glaze, with no cream cheese.
I’m definitely going to make this…it looks so delicious!
Thank you,
CJ
Wow, I can see that I was clear as mud when I wrote this one up. This recipe uses a glaze with made with whole milk. I listed variations of replacing this glaze with a cream cheese frosting if desired. There isn’t any buttermilk in this recipe. Thank you for the heads up. I hope you’ll stop back and let me know how your cake turned out.
This is the best fall dessert! I’m going to take this to my next fall brunch with friends!
I loved that this was so light and moist! The perfect balance of pumpkin flavors!
Thank you! I’m definitely in the pumpkin cravings now.
My family loves pumpkin. This is an awesome cake with flavor.
Oh wow, Julie! I love pumpkin spice everything and your cake looks amazing. I think I could eat the entire thing 😉
Thank you Antonia! I love pumpkin spice too!
The frosting is what got my attention Julie – cinnamon cream cheese! Perfect dessert for Fall.
Thank you Judi! It may be repeated at Thanksgiving too!
This is why I love this time of year so much! Pumpkin desserts are my favorite treats. That cream cheese glaze is perfect on this cake!
Thank you Sandra! I think it’s our trade off for giving up summer?
Julie — this is one gorgeous cake!! I can’t wait to bake it ASAP!!
Thank you Michaela!
This cake sounds absolutely amazing!! I love spiced cakes and this is perfect for Fall! Id love a slice of this with my first Pumpkin Spice Latter of the season 😉
And I agree – a bundt cake instantly makes it so fancy!! 😀
Thank you so much Dini! I just love these fall flavors too and especially when my sweet tooth is involved!
How fun and pretty is this! I love a bundy cake. Something about the way the hole in the center pools all the glaze in a swimming pool of yumminess! I can’t wait to get a new bundt pan to make this and maybe a mini bundt pan too!
Thank you Jennifer! I don’t use my bundt pan that much, but you’re right that I just love how the center collects all of the yummy glazes and frosting!
Love buttermilk in baking and this cake is perfect to welcome fall. Looks so moist. Gorgeous photos Julie!
Thank you Johanne! I really appreciate you hosting FF this week too!