Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Ingredients

• Pumpkin puree: you can use canned or homemade pumpkin puree, which is very easy to make. Don't use pumpkin pie filling which is a different thing.
• Oil: sunflower oil is our first choice for everyday baking because it's neutral and lets the other flavors shine. But you can use canola or other vegetable oil.
• Sugar: both white and brown sugar are used (light or dark, they both work).
• Eggs: always fresh, large.
• Flour and salt: all-purpose flour and kosher salt.
• Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they are still active, not expired.
• Spices: ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice are our favorite ones. But feel free to add a pinch of cloves if you want or use pumpkin pie spice mix.
• Vanilla: using pure vanilla extract or paste is our first choice, but you can use a good vanilla essence like Baker's(artificially flavored).

How to make this cake

• Oil mixture: it starts with the sugar and eggs that are beaten together until frothy and then the oil is added in a thin stream until you have a thick batter. This takes about 3 minutes. Image 1
• Adding the pumpkin: next comes the pumpkin puree, which should be well incorporated before adding the dry ingredients. I add the warm pumpkin spices at this point, but you can choose to add them with the flour. Image 2
• Flour mixture: or dry ingredients as they're also called, they're added at the end after all the wet ingredients have been thoroughly beaten. The idea at this point is to beat as little as possible, just until the batter is well combined. Always sift them, either as you're adding them (image 3), or have them sifted beforehand. This will help make the crumb lighter.
• Final batter: I always finish my cake batter with a spatula to make sure there is no flour left unmixed in the bottom of the bowl, and also to scrape the sides well for the last time. Image 4

Baking the cake

• Fill the pan to no more than ¾ of its capacity at the most. That is my golden rule when it comes to cake batters in general, and especially relevant with bundt cakes that tend to be dense ones, similar to pound cakes many of them. Image 5
• How do you know when it's done? Most bundt cakes will bake to a golden brown top (image 6) before they're fully baked inside. So always use a cake tester or toothpick to check and make sure it comes out clean (no moist crumbs or wet batter attached) when you insert it in the middle of the cake.
• What if the cake is browning too quickly? This happens often, so use a large piece of aluminum foil to loosely cover the top of the cake after you see that it's browning too much and it's not yet done. Continue baking it; the foil will prevent the top from continuing to brown while the inside of the cake fully bakes.

Cream cheese frosting

I use a simple cream cheese frosting because together with pumpkin it makes the best cake possible. It's easy to make (simply mix powdered sugar with butter and cream cheese), keeps well in the refrigerator for several weeks, and there's usually some leftovers which can be used to fill and frost other cakes like the Red Velvet Bundt Cake, the wonderful Hummingbird Layer Cake, or our decadent Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

How much frosting? That's up to you! I find that a thick layer is always a good idea. So let your sweet tooth decide.

Top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Pan size: fill the pan to no more than ¾ of its capacity at the most. That is my golden rule when it comes to cake batters in general, and especially relevant with bundt cakes that tend to be dense ones, similar to a pound cake many of them. I give 2 choices of pan size in the recipe card.
• Flavorings: adapt the amount and type of spices to your personal palate. Use a homemade or store-bought mix that you like, or use fewer spices than those specified in the recipe. Make this flavorful pumpkin bundt cake your own!
• Add-ins: you can add ½ cup of semi sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts/pecans to the pumpkin batter.
• Freezing: this moist pumpkin bundt cake freezes very well, always well wrapped. I use plastic wrap first and then aluminum foil. It keeps for a month for sure. Defrost in the refrigerator (it takes a while so I recommend doing it the day before) or at room temperature.
• Frosting: you can use a flavored cream cheese frosting by adding ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon of pure almond extract, or add some grated orange extract or zest to the frosting itself.

Frequently asked questions