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Blue cake server lifting a slice of glazed pumpkin bundt cake. Brown background.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake (with cream cheese frosting)

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Bundt cakes are one of our most popular categories, so it was about time I introduced you to this fabulous pumpkin-flavored cake. The crumb is moist thanks to the oil in the batter, and the flavor is spiced, sweet, and just plain wonderful. Oh, and the cream cheese glaze! The perfect combination. 

  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

Units

For a 10-cup bundt pan: 

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg or a mix of both
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 12oz (1 1/2 cups) pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • Optional: 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

For a 12-cup bundt pan: 

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg or a mix of both
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 16oz (2 cups) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon orange zest

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons milk

Instructions

For the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. Butter and flour, or spray with baking spray a 10-cup or large 12-cup bundt pan, depending on the cake you're going to make.
  3. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, soda, pie spice, and salt.
  4. Beat eggs for a minute with an electric mixer in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), until frothy.
  5. Add both sugars and beat for 1 or 2 minutes, until thick and pale-colored.
  6. Gradually add oil and beat for a minute more, until well incorporated. 
  7. Add pumpkin puree, spices and mix well. If using orange zest add it now. 
  8. Add flour mixture in two additions beating only until well mixed. It's important that you don't overbeat the pumpkin mixture at this point.
  9. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
  10. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly before it's done, loosely cover the cake with a large piece of aluminum foil so the top doesn't continue to brown while the inside bakes fully. 
  11. Let cool for about 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Grab the pan with kitchen towels and starts shaking it a little, until the cake moves and you make sure the bottom and sides are not stuck.
  12. Invert onto a wire rack, and cool completely before frosting.
  13. Add the cream cheese frosting and decorate with some orange zest and ground cinnamon.

For the cream cheese frosting:

  1. Beat soft cream cheese in a bowl with the soft butter until very creamy and no lumps remain. 
  2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until you have a thick, very creamy consistency.
  3. If needed, thin it with a teaspoon or two of milk until you have a good enough to spread mixture. 
  4. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a few weeks, covered. Beat again before using to attain a creamy consistency.

Notes

  • Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
  • Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look 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 (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: when you pour the cake batter into a pan, it should not fill it higher than 3/4 of its capacity. If you only have a 10-cup bundt pan, the cake will take over an hour to bake and the sides be a little thicker and drier.
  • 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 1/2 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 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon of pure almond extract, or add some grated orange extract or zest to the frosting itself. 
  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cooling time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/10
  • Calories: 680
  • Sugar: 64.9 g
  • Sodium: 677.4 mg
  • Fat: 30.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 97.8 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 92.4 mg