Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
It’s October already? In years past, September and October always seemed to drag on and then – BAM – it’s Christmas. However, being pregnant seems to have pushed time into overdrive. My to-do and to-buy lists get longer, while time just seems to get shorter. Seriously, I need a pause button for my life.
Speaking of lists – I’m fairly certain that I’ve added canned pumpkin to my grocery list for the last 10 trips, always with the best of intentions. I think of all these great recipes I’m going to fill with pumpkin. … And then exhaustion hits and I simply end up sleeping instead of baking.
All this means I’m totally starting to feel like a pumpkin hoarder. There’s only so much pantry reorganization that can go on – pretty soon I’m going to end up with a canned pumpkin tower in the corner of my kitchen. And this is not my idea of festive Fall decor.
In an effort to slim down my pumpkin stash and fulfill a serious hankering for pumpkin cake, I whipped together this sweet and spicy pumpkin bundt cake. And since I can never leave well enough alone, I spooned a rich and creamy spiced cream cheese frosting all over it. You (and your own pumpkin cravings) can thank me later. Because yeah. It’s that good.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Cake
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounce cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine sugar and oil until thoroughly blended.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.
- Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Remove pan and cool completely before preparing the cream cheese frosting.
- For the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter; mixing until well-combined and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Gradually add in confectioners' sugar. Once the confectioners' sugar is completely incorporated, mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla and milk. If frosting appears to be too thick, slowly add in a little more milk until you reach the desired consistency. If desired, add pumpkin pie spice and mix until well-combined. Spoon over cooled cake.
Notes:
- Recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temp for one hour before serving.
I’ve been eating my way through an apple bundt cake and this pumpkin cake looks to be the next item on my fall baking to-do list. Love the cream cheese frosting on top!
Oh this thing looks perfect! Bundt cakes are one of my favorite things ever…there’s something about the hole in the middle that really makes things come full circle (badumching) ;) Cream cheese frosting is also my favorite frosting, so I’m staring at the cake from heaven right now ;) Have a great weekend!
I totally know how you feel! I’m 26 weeks pregnant with twins; I cannot believe it’s already October, either…and all of my baking ideas are quickly crushed when I get home and want to lay down for the rest of the night. But this recipe, I’m definitely making it this weekend. I hoarded canned pumpkin last year, yay! And I will eat more than half of it by myself! Can’t wait! Thanks!
Wow, this looks delicious!
Seonaid-
It is! Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
I was looking for an easy yet scrumptious pumpkin dessert, and you just provided it. :). And yeah, pregnancy totally saps the energy and best intentions out of ya! Enjoy those naps while you can :)
Amy-
Thanks so much for stopping by! This recipe is definitely as easy as it it delicious! Have a great weekend.
-Jamie
I totally agree. December comes out of nowhere, but I’m finding time is passing quite slowly right now. Love this recipe!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Katrina! Have a great weekend.
-Jamie
Am I missing the “print recipe” button…? I NEED to make this, but need to be able to print it out…help!
Julia-
It’s definitely there. Look under the thumbnail image within the recipe print box. It says “print recipe” – I hope this helps!
-Jamie
This looks yummy! I can’t take tons of pumpkin, so I am selective about which pumpkin treats I decide to make, but this is definitely something I will have to try out.
Jaleh-
It is soooo good! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
Yummy! love your pictures too!
Thanks, Shelly! :)
This cake turned out great! Great alternative to the boring pumpkin pie and goes great with coffee… Thanks!
Stephanie-
Thank you so much! It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Have a lovely day and thank you for following MBA!
-Jamie
Love this recipe. I am curious though. Want to make a spice cake and the recipe calls for a 9×13 pan. I have two 10″ bunt cake pans and want to use both. Should I double the recipe or just the recipe and a half?
I would double the recipe.
– Jamie
Holy crow, this is the BEST bundt cake I’ve ever had. Made it for a party and it was gone within minutes. It is FABulous! Thanks for the great website and recipes! Can’t wait to try more!!
Robyn-
That’s so great to hear! I’m so happy that it was such a hit! Thank you so much for following MBA and have a great day!
-Jamie
I made this for a Halloween potluck breakfast and my coworkers loved it! Perfect amount of sweetness. I had to replace the cream cheese frosting for a maple glaze because my boss is lactose intolerant, which kind of went well with the breakfast theme. Thanks for the great recipe, it’s a keeper.
Adriana-
Maple glaze sounds great too! Thanks so much for stopping in to share and have a wonderful day!
-Jamie
Do you think doubling the cream cheese mixture and pouring 1/2 in the middle of the cake would work? Just a thought.
Anna, that could work, but the cream cheese will cook a little, and be more like a danish filling.
– Jamie
I’d like to try making this cake it looks wonderful and I love pumpkin. My question is: pure pumpkin puree, is that the canned stuff from Libby that I use to make pumpkin pie just be adding the eggs, can milk, cinnamon, etc? Any help would be appreciated.
Annette-
Yes, that is the pumpkin puree that is used for the cake. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
-Jamie
Second time making this cake in 2 weeks. It’s so good. The cake I just baked I’m bartering with a local vendor. I love the holidays, you can trade baked goods for other things :) lol
Christian-
That’s awesome, and sounds like a good trade! I’m so happy you are pleased with the recipe. Have a fantastic day!
-Jamie
This was really good, and really easy. Didn’t change a thing, except stirring a spoonful of trader joes pumpkin butter into the icing. I made 2 cakes for the teachers at my son’s school, and they LOVED it. Thanks for a great recipe!
If I use the pumpkin spice cream cheese in the Frosting do you think I should leave out the pumpkin pie spice or would that be to much pumpkin? I’m a the more pumpkin the better it will be person but I don’t want to kill it for everyone else. Thanks. Love the recipes!
I don’t think that would be spice overkill at all.
– Jamie
I would like to make this for Thanksgiving. I have lots of company coming and want to make desserts ahead that go in the freezer/refrigerator for a few days. Do you think the freezer for a week would ruin this cake?
Brenda, this cake, as with most baked goods, is fine in the freezer for up to 2 months.
– Jamie
Love this recipe! Made it earlier this week and it’s already gone :) I want to make it for Thanksgiving…when you say the recipe keeps in the fridge for 3 days- does that mean the batter? Or after baking? To save time, I would like to prepare the batter today and then actually bake it tomorrow. Do you think that will be fine?
Grace, I mean after baking. But so long as you cover the batter with plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container, I’m sure doing that overnight would be fine.
– Jamie
hi i was wondering how you get the frosting on the cake like you did in the picture
Hi Melissa – I poured it on and then worked it slowly down the sides of the cake with an icing spatula.
– Jamie
recipe looks great! I am pregnant as well and dying for pumpkin treats. I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting (skinnytaste.com) It was a very lite and healthy recipe……but I am really in the mood for Bundt cake.
I only have chocolate cream cheese on hand. Do you think it would still work?
Magan-
I haven’t tried it with chocolate cream cheese, but let me know how it turns out if you try it.
-Jamie
Can I use this recipe to make in muffin form?
Andrea-
This all work in muffin form, but you will need to adjust the baking time. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
HELP! Just bought my first mini bundt pan (6 mini bundt) how should I adjust the time?? I’m bringing it to a gathering today..oops!
BTW, I made this regular sized bundt two weeks ago and LOVED it!! I shared with family and it was a hit…thanks!
Susie-
I would start checking them at about 20-25 minutes, I can’t give you an accurate time since I haven’t made this recipe into mini bundts. My guess would be about 30-35 minutes. I hope this helps – thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Baking this recipe tomorrow but was wondering if I can make the frosting into more of a glaze and if so how?
Faith-
I think you could just add milk to the frosting until it is at the consistency that you are looking for. I hope this helps.
-Jamie