Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This pumpkin bundt cake recipe is a fall favorite! Warm spices, a moist crumb and a bundt cake glaze that's perfect to use on other desserts, too.

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There is no flavor more indicative of the fall season than pumpkin, so naturally, this dessert is a fantastic way to welcome in autumn.

Bundt cakes look fancy because of their special shape, but making them is actually easier than making a layer cake. Which, of course, is why there are so many different bundt cake recipes on this site!

Start with this pumpkin bundt cake recipe, but the next time you need a quick and easy dessert, make a different flavor.

My personal favorites are the vanilla almond bundt cake, chocolate bundt cake, and sour cream lemon bundt cake recipes.

Close up of a pumpkin cake topped with a simple frosting and chopped walnuts.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy to make: Although bundt cakes look impressive, they are incredibly easy to make. Simply mix the pumpkin cake batter and bake!
Made with pantry staples. Most of these ingredients are pantry staples that you probably already have on hand!
Absolutely beautiful. Bundt cakes are so pretty! You can use a detailed fluted pan to make your cake stand out and top with the simple frosting and garnish with nuts!

Ingredients

For the pumpkin bundt cake, you’ll need:

unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter is the best option because the amount of salt in butter varies from brand to brand.
granulated sugar
pumpkin puree - This ingredient is not the same as pumpkin pie filling. Look for 100% pure pumpkin puree.
large eggs
milk - Whole milk is best, because the more milkfat there is, the richer the flavor of the bundt cake will be.
vanilla extract
all purpose flour
leaveners - You'll need both baking powder and baking soda for this recipe.
spices - salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg

This recipe includes an optional simple powdered sugar glaze. If you want to add it to your cake, you will need confectioner's sugar, melted butter, and milk.

If you want a bundt cake with cream cheese frosting, you can use the frosting recipe in my carrot cake cupcakes recipe.

Of course, you'll also need a bundt pan. Here are some of my favorite pans:

nonstick bundt pan- I highly recommend this one! It's affordable and works great.
fancier bundt pan
fleur de lis bundt pan

If you love pumpkin desserts, check out my recipes for pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin loaf, or soft pumpkin cookies!

Substitutions

Unsalted Butter: If you want to use salted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Baking Powder: Baking powder is essential for adding tenderness. Do not substitute or omit this ingredient.

Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for creating carbon dioxide bubbles to help the pumpkin cake rise. Do not substitute or omit this ingredient.

Eggs: We don't recommend substituting eggs, but you can read this article on Egg Substitutions for Baking if you want to try it at your own risk!

Milk: You can substitute milk with half and half, low fat milk, or non dairy milk. However, if you use a substitute, the flavor and crumb of the cake may not be as rich, and moist.

Vanilla Extract: You can substitute an equal amount of almond extract. Or, substitute with half of the amount of vanilla bean paste.

Spices: You can use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of the spices in the recipe.

Add Ins: I haven't tried adding in chocolate chips to this recipe, but I think mini chocolate chips would be delicious!

Flavor variations: You can substitute mashed banana for pumpkin puree. Try this banana bundt cake recipe!

How to Make the Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe

Creaming butter and sugar together in a glass mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar. Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth.

Using a stick blender to combine pumpkin dessert batter.

Blend in the remaining wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix again until smooth.

Pumpkin bundt cake batter in a clear bowl on a marble background

Add in the dry ingredients. Add the flour, leaveners, and spices into the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed until just combined.

Pumpkin bundt cake batter in a bundt cake pan on a marble background

Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes at 350° F.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before removing the pumpkin cake from the bundt pan.

Baked bundt cake on a white cake platter.

Liz's Tips for the best cake

Grease the pan well - Make sure to grease your bundt cake pan well to avoid your cake from sticking.
Use a toothpick to check if the cake is done. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to test if it's cooked through. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's cookedd!
Let the cake cool before trying to take it out of the pan. 30 minutes is usually perfect!

Storage

Storing: You can store the pumpkin cake, with or without glaze, for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Freezing: To freeze for up to 3 months, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, and then place it in a freezer bag (or wrap in aluminum foil) to prevent freezer burn.

Thaw before enjoying.

A piece of pumpkin bundt cake topped with frosting on a white plate

Serving Suggestions

We recommend topping this pumpkin cake with the optional simple icing and chopped walnuts or pecans. It would also be delicious served with fresh whipped cream or ice cream!