This is my go-to pumpkin Bundt cake recipe because the crumb is incredibly moist, the cake tastes perfectly spiced, and you can top it with anything from salted caramel sauce to cream cheese frosting. You can fill it with chocolate chips, a cinnamon swirl, chopped nuts, or leave it plain. I particularly love it plain with maple icing on top!
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Moist and dense, this pumpkin Bundt cake delivers BIG. It’s not quite as heavy as a cream cheese pound cake, nor is it quite as light as my regular pumpkin cake. Instead, it meets somewhere in the middle and this place is called pumpkin euphoria.
I make this dessert recipe at least 2 or 3 times every fall season. It’s oh-so-easy, and I haven’t changed the recipe at all over many years of keeping this cake in my fall rotation. There are so many variations between add-ins and toppings, that you could make a different pumpkin Bundt cake practically every day for an entire year. (And you’ll want to… it’s *that* good.)
One reader, Janet, commented: “This was such a hit I’ve had to make it twice!! Was delicious and easy to make, my friends were very impressed! ★★★★★”
One reader, Sherri, commented: “This is the BEST pumpkin cake recipe ever. We leave out the chocolate chips and add pecans. I make the maple glaze recipe and add vanilla and pecans to it. It’s wonderful! ★★★★★“
Here’s Why I Know You’ll Love It
- I know pumpkin desserts. From the best pumpkin cupcakes to the perfect pumpkin pie, I know how to make this star ingredient shine. (And complement it with the right ingredients!)
- No mixer required, just 2 bowls and a whisk
- Conveniently uses 1 standard 15-ounce can of pumpkin
- Supremely moist—knife glides right through it
- Generously spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
- Excellent so many ways: plain, filled, swirled, or frosted
Use These Key Ingredients
Like all of the recipes on my website and in my cookbooks, I endlessly tested various ingredients and ratios to develop a standout cake with excellent flavor and texture. Here are some key ingredients:
- Baking Soda: 2 teaspoons of baking soda seems like a lot, and it is a lot. But think about the size of a Bundt cake… they’re huge, and need to rise quite a lot in the tall cake pan. I remember trying this recipe with a mix of baking soda AND baking powder, and was never satisfied with the result. In addition to leavening, baking soda deepens a baked good’s color and neutralizes acids. (This cake is filled with acidic ingredients!)
- Spices: Generously spiced is not an understatement! On its own, pumpkin is quite bland, so you need a lot of spice to bring out its flavor. You could even swap some of the individual spices for pumpkin pie spice!
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil or olive oil here. Melted coconut oil works, too, but you’ll want to be sure that you bake the batter immediately after mixing (no standing around, please!) because the coconut oil will very quickly begin to solidify and thicken the batter.
- Eggs: Pumpkin, oil, and flour are big, heavy ingredients so you need eggs in the batter to lift and bind the ingredients together.
- Brown & White Sugars: Again, pumpkin is pretty bland without a little help, so you need plenty of sugar to help bring out its flavor. I use a mix of both brown and white.
- Pure Pumpkin: This Bundt cake conveniently uses 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin. For best results and flavor, I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree instead of homemade. I prefer Libby’s brand for this cake.
You also need flour, salt, and vanilla extract.
Substitution Tip
Like when making apple cake or chocolate cake, use oil in this Bundt cake recipe, so you’re guaranteed a super moist cake from the start. You can substitute unsweetened applesauce for half of the oil. (1/2 cup each.) Readers have told me they love the cake this way, and it’s just as moist.
Overview: How to Make My Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This recipe actually uses the same base batter as my pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake. And, like I mentioned above, the process couldn’t be easier!
Combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then whisk them together. Expect a very thick batter, almost like pumpkin pancakes batter:
And here’s the batter again, but with chocolate chips:
Instead of an add-in like chocolate chips, you could fill the pumpkin Bundt cake with the chai spice swirl from this chai spice cinnamon swirl Bundt cake, or try my cream cheese-filled pumpkin Bundt cake (same batter!).
Favorite Bundt Pan to Use
Do you make a lot of Bundt cakes? I do! You need a Bundt pan that’s 9.5 to 10.5 inches in diameter, and can hold 10 to 12 cups of batter. Let me share two favorite Bundt cake pan options with you:
- Anolon Bundt Pan: Super quality, heavy-duty, great price, never warps, awesome rubber grips. I’ve been using it for years and, honestly, it’s just as durable as day 1.
- Nordic Ware Bundt Pan: Outstanding quality, heavy-duty, and makes beautiful cakes.
Whichever Bundt pan you use, be sure to grease it very generously before adding the batter. Even if the pan is labeled nonstick, due to the size and weight of a Bundt cake, you NEED a lot of greasing so the cake easily separates from the pan when inverting it.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake Toppings
Like the best things in the kitchen life, we’ll shower this pumpkin Bundt with a glaze. There are so many options here (I love a good icing!), and I list my favorites below.
- Brown Butter Icing from my Peach Bundt Cake
- Maple Icing from Maple Brown Sugar Cookies (pictured above)
- Salted Caramel Sauce (pictured below)
- Chocolate Ganache
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Brown Sugar Glaze from my Apple Bundt Cake
- Orange Glaze from my Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my go-to pumpkin Bundt cake recipe because the crumb is incredibly moist, the cake tastes perfectly spiced, and you can top it with anything from salted caramel sauce to cream cheese frosting. You can fill it with chocolate chips, a cinnamon swirl, nuts, or leave it plain. I particularly love it plain with the maple icing from these maple brown sugar cookies on top!
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil (see Note)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 15-ounce (425g) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional add-in: 1 and 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts/pecans
Optional Topping Ideas
- optional topping: salted caramel, maple icing, or any listed below
- optional garnish: sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 10–12-cup Bundt pan. (I like this one or this one.)
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Fold in chocolate chips or nuts, if using. Batter is thick, and you’ll have around 5 cups total.
- Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 55–70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours in the pan set on a wire rack. Then invert the slightly cooled Bundt cake onto a wire rack or serving plate/cake stand.
- Allow to cool completely before drizzling with topping/icing and serving. On the pictured cake, I used the maple icing from these maple brown sugar cookies. I also sprinkled a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend on top of the icing before it set.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for a couple days and/or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the entire cake ahead of time (before topping with icing). Cover cooled cake and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before icing and serving. Baked cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before icing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Bundt Cake Pan (I like this one or this one) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Mini Bundt Cakes: I’ve tested this recipe with mini Bundt pans before and while the mini Bundt cakes taste wonderful, they’re quite dense. If you’d like to try it, the recipe makes 24-30 mini Bundts but that depends on the exact size of your mini Bundt cake pan. Fill them only halfway with batter. The bake time is around 20 to 25 minutes. Instead, for better results with a lighter crumb, I recommend using my pumpkin cupcakes batter for mini pumpkin Bundt cakes. You’ll get about 16.
- Spices: Instead of 1/2 teaspoon each ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, you can use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. (You will still add the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.)
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or olive oil. Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake is just as moist. If you want to use coconut oil, melt it first, and be sure that all of the other ingredients are room temperature. Bake the batter right away, because as the coconut oil begins to cool and solidify, it thickens the batter and could result in an overly dense cake.
- Pumpkin: For best results and flavor, I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree over homemade in this recipe. I found the flavor is much better with canned. I prefer Libby’s brand for this cake.
- More Topping Options: Brown Butter Icing from my Peach Bundt Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Cream Cheese Frosting, Homemade Whipped Cream, Brown Sugar Glaze from my Apple Bundt Cake, Orange Glaze from my Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! Just curious…did you use light or dark brown sugar in your testing? I am on the fence and know both will work but….well you know the crazy minds of us crazy bakers and are major decisions in life! LOL! Have a great day!
Hi Carolyn, The above pictured cake was made with light brown sugar but either are great! The dark brown sugar yields a slightly darker cake with a slightly deeper brown sugar/molasses background flavor.
Good morning, if I wanted to add pecans, what is your recommendation for the amount? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, you can add 1 cup of chopped pecans.
I made this cake using a gluten free 1 to1 flour. It was absolutely perfect. I shared it with our neighbors and none could tell it was gluten free. I love the brunt butter drizzle with it. We’ve made it 4 times!! I love it as a morning snack with my green tea!
Easy and delicious and amazing! Somehow I forgot to add the vanilla extract but it was fabulous without it. So very moist and full of pumpkin-y spice flavors! I only had to bake it for 58 minutes or so. Any longer and it would have dried out. I passed on the chocolate chips and made a simple glaze topping instead. I will absolutely be making this again, with ALL the variations 🙂
I’m assuming I can make this into mini bundts… do you see any reason that wouldn’t work, or do you have another recipe to suggest for making them minis?
Yes, mini Bundt pans should work! I’m unsure of the exact bake time needed.
Wow, this cake is so good, Moist it doesn’t need sauce over it , this is the one I will do from now on ..
Just made this. So simple and so delicious. LOVE IT! Fall is coming
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Can I substitute baking soda for baking power? And how much?
Hi Sally! I made this last night and I will tell you it is Kid Tested and APPROVED! I made it without the chocolate chips and substituted the 1 cup of Oil for 1 cup of melted butter, and topped it off with a Bourbon Vanilla Glaze (non-alcoholic!!) It came out wonderfully moist and the spices were awesome! Thanks for a great cake!! Will be making this again and again for sure!
I tried this recipe again, but this time I subbed half the oil with applesauce. Everything was weighed out and it tried out great! Basically the same bundt cake with less calories.
If I were to sub all of the oil, would I just double the amount of applesauce from 90g to 180 g?
I made it with Cup4Cup gf flour and no other changes. It came out perfect.
Hello! So I know the recommendation is canned pumpkin, but I have A LOT of left over pumpkin puree after prepping the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for Thursday and want to use it up. I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin flavor, so I think I am going to prefer the more subtle taste anyway … but, my question … would I blot the pumpkin puree as I did in the cookies??? Thanks!!!
PS: I have the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough, maple brown sugar cookie dough, and 3 pie crusts in the refrigerator just waiting to be baked …. the anticipation is killing me!!! I have made all these things before so I know they are AMAZING, I am just excited to share them all with family and friends!!!!
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for trusting and baking my recipes. Means the world to me! Do not blot the pumpkin for this pumpkin Bundt cake– you want all that moisture in there!
I weighed everything out and skipped the chocolate chips. I was intimated with all of the sugar being poured in, but the bundt cake came out perfectly and tasted amazing. Moist, not too sweet, full of the pumpkin and warm spice flavor.
Hi Sally,
Can I sub the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts?
Thanks
Yes, definitely!
OMG Sally this so delicious and moist. Not too pumpkiny but skipped the chocolate. I made a flan cake and used a bain marie. My question is can you bake a bundt cake this way? I’ll tag you on IG when I post the pic! Thank you so much!
Made this gorgeous cake for our monthly Community Cafè. The salted caramel complimented the cake extremely well.
A very easy recipe to follow, metric conversion much appreciated. It just took an extra 20 minutes to bake than recipe stated, I wonder if this was because I used a silicone mould instead of a metal one?
Most definitely worth making again.
Can I substitute the pumpkin puree for carrot? I am in the UK and I can’t find pumpkin puree anywhere
J
Hi Jeff, I recommend my carrot cake recipe instead.
I made this this morning. Being the dingbat that I am, I measured, mixed, whisked everything according to the directions, got it in my bundt pan. Gosh, Sally isn’t kidding this is thick. Weird looking too. Huh. Oh well, into the oven it went. I’m making the (un)salted caramel sauce to top it with, cake has been in the oven about, oh, 3 minutes, I glance at the butter, eggs and heavy cream on the counter, oh man! Crap! Take cake out, crack eggs into a bowl, dump batter into the bowl, wash my bundt pan and regrease it, pour the batter back in. Looks a lot more like cake batter now! What a doofus I am…lol! I’m not new to this, really I’m not! Ha The cake is absolutely delicious, we each ate a slice while still somewhat warm, topped with the amazing caramel sauce! This is an absolute keeper! Thank you, Sally, for another amazing recipe!!!
Delicious cake! I’ve made it twice…once with the chocolate chips, once without. I only use cinnamon — I don’t love the other “fall spices.” Both times I’ve only let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes — and it came out perfectly. (I do spray my nonstick bundt pan with a pretty good dose of baking spray.) Then I let it cool on the counter for a long time.
Just made this and forgot the chocolate chips! Sprinkled top with sugar and cinnamon then cinnamon butter on a slice, it is delicious
2 hours cooling in the pan? Is this ABSOLUTELY necessary?
This cake is pretty fragile right out of the oven and may break if removed from the pan too quickly. You can certainly try to shorten the time and see what happens!
Hi! Would you be able to use coconut oil instead of a traditional vegetable oil?
Yes, melted coconut oil works! Enjoy!
I used Olive oil and turned out so well!
I made this last night and glazed it this morning and of course it was breakfast, rated it 5 stars.
I used coconut oil and omitted the chips- texture is perfect but we think it’s a moist spice cake that happens to use pumpkin. I will try your other pumpkin recipes too. Thanks
Hi! Want to make this today because I got two smaller bundt pans yesterday!! I only have Heath Toffee Bits. What do you think of those in the pumpkin bundt?? Weird flavors or okay??
Thanks as usual!
Toffee flavor with pumpkin – DELISH!! I say go for it and enjoy!
This recipe was amazing! Thanks for sharing. I made it with 1/3 white whole wheat flour and it was yummy! No one could taste the difference. I will try to make it next time with 1/2 white whole wheat and 1/2 white flour. I used chocolate instead of a caramel topping. Thanks for sharing! Chocolate and pumpkin are an amazing pair!
I made this for my birthday cake and LOVED it! Pumpkin is my love language, lol! Some people think it’s weird that I make my own birthday cake, but I love to bake! Delicious cake- the perfect texture, not too dense and not too light!
In case it’s helpful, I baked this recipe in a 9×13 and 8×8 pan (both) for 40 min at 350 degrees.
Which do you prefer the light or dark brown sugar for this pumpkin chocolate bundt cake?
Either are great! The dark brown sugar yield a slightly darker cake with a slightly deeper brown sugar/molasses background flavor.
Hi Viviana! You’ll likely have 2 loafs from this recipe. Follow the same instructions as my pumpkin bread: https://route-span.live/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bread/%3C/p%3E
Isn’t it awesome!!!?? Seriously one of the best Bundt cakes I’ve ever made, especially with the caramel on top. So glad you tried it!