Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This Pumpkin Bundt Cake is flavored with six kinds of warming spices and topped with a cinnamon cream cheese glaze. It’s especially perfect for fall gatherings like Thanksgiving! 

Celebrating 15 Years!

I apologize in advance as I don’t often get too personal in recipes posts anymore. If you’re just here for the recipe and don’t care about my reflections on 15 years as a food blogger, feel free to use the jump to recipe button to get straight to the printable recipe.

For those who’ve been following my blog, you might have noticed the website’s recent makeover. It’s a project we’ve been working on throughout the year, with the intentional launch coinciding with a special date.

Today marks 15 years since my very first blog post on Good Life Eats. I couldn’t let this day pass without saying something, as I’ve spent several weeks reflecting on the past 15 years, revisiting the chapters of my life, each one telling a different story. 

Those memories have brought up a lot of emotions, and this blog has seen me through all of those ups and downs, challenges, happy times, and big life changes.

From being a young mother with a baby and a toddler, to building a life in a new state, facing the uncertainties of single parenthood, and all the life changes that came with it. To finding a new life companion and gaining two more kids to love.

We’ve made it through the drama of the middle school years, watched our oldest two move away to college, and our younger two begin working towards their next big step in the world. 15 years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

This blog has also been a source of comfort through grief, challenges, and personal growth. It helped me find myself again, guiding me in determining what I want in life and who I want to be.

I never once envisioned, when I started this little place to document my culinary adventures and save family recipes, that Good Life Eats would evolve into what it is today, or that I’d still be on this incredible journey. I’m so thankful for all that has made this possible.

Here’s a delicious Pumpkin Cake to celebrate!

Making This Pumpkin Bundt Cake

If you’re in need of an easy yet impressive fall bundt cake recipe, look no further than this pumpkin spice bundt cake!

It’s made with six different spices to really pack in the fall flavor, plus a bourbon-cinnamon cream cheese glaze that I could happily eat on its own. 

Although we love pairing this pumpkin cake with the cream cheese glaze, it’s also delicious as a coffee cake dusted simply with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate ganache. I’m sharing lots more topping and garnish ideas in this post so you can customize the cake as you see fit!

And because I hate when pumpkin desserts leave me with a partially used can of puree, I intentionally created this recipe so that it uses up the entire can.

Between the eggs, yogurt, and pumpkin puree in the batter, this easy pumpkin bundt cake turns out moist and tender every time! 

When to Serve this Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This bundt pan pumpkin cake is the perfect “everyday” fall cake that you can make for any occasion. You can even serve it for a fall brunch or a simple birthday cake!

We enjoyed it as part of our Thanksgiving dessert table last year, so I feel confident saying that it is an elegant yet simple addition to your holiday season baking or Halloween dessert table since it serves a crowd. 

Tools Needed for This Recipe 

This is a quick and easy cake recipe that requires no special equipment, besides the bundt pan. You’ll want to have the following tools on hand to make the cake: 

• Measuring cups and spoons — Needed for any baking project! 
• Liquid measuring cup — For measuring the melted butter. 
• Rubber spatula — Great for stirring together the cake batter. The soft rubber edges are perfect for scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined. 
• Mixing bowls — You’ll need two mixing bowls for this recipe. (I prefer cleaning out the large mixing bowl and then reusing it for the cream cheese frosting.) 
• Electric hand mixer — For making the cream cheese frosting. You can also use a stand mixer for this. 
• Wire whisk — A whisk and some elbow grease is also just fine for making the frosting. 
• Bundt pan — You’ll need a 12-cup bundt pan for this recipe. Use a plain bundt pan, or choose one with an autumnal design. 

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Ingredients You’ll Need

This is a straightforward recipe for pumpkin bundt cake. To make it, you’ll need the following basic ingredients:  

For the Pumpkin Bundt Cake: 

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Spices (Ground Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Allspice) 
• Eggs
• Pumpkin Puree
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Butter
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Vanilla Extract

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:

• Full-Fat Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract
• Bourbon
• Ground Cinnamon
• Heavy Cream
• Milk

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake

If you’ve made a regular cake before, then you can definitely handle making this fall bundt cake! The only real difference is that the larger bundt pan holds more batter than a regular cake pan, so the pumpkin cake needs more time in the oven. 

Below is an overview of the recipe steps: 

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice. 
2. Combine the wet ingredients: In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, and sugars. Then, add the melted butter, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. 
3. Finish the batter: Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. 
4. Bake: Turn the batter into a 12-cup bundt pan that’s been greased and sprinkled with sugar (this helps prevent sticking!). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
5. Let cool: The baked cake needs to cool for roughly 15 minutes before being inverted onto a wire rack and allowed to cool completely. 
6. Make the glaze: Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the powdered sugar in increments until fully combined. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. 
7. Glaze the cake: Once the cake has cooled completely, spoon the cream cheese icing over the top and gently spread around so it drips naturally over the sides. 

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Additional Frosting & Garnish Ideas 

We love pairing this pumpkin spice bundt cake with the cream cheese glaze, but you can frost and garnish the cake in so many different ways! 

If using the cream cheese icing as instructed, you can then optionally garnish the cake with one or more of the following: 

• Sugared cranberries 
• A dusting of pumpkin pie spice 
• Pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds) 
• Glazed walnuts 
• Chopped pecans 

Or, you can top the pumpkin bundt cake with one of the following instead of the cream cheese icing: 

• A dusting of of powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice 
• A drizzle of pumpkin spice caramel sauce or bourbon caramel sauce 
• A drizzle of chocolate ganache

The Best Bundt Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe FAQs

Got questions about how to make a pumpkin bundt cake? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

What size bundt pan do I need? 

You’ll need a 12-cup bundt pan to make this spiced pumpkin cake recipe. Do NOT use a smaller bundt pan or else the batter will overflow in the oven. 

Can I make this pumpkin cake without a bundt pan?

I haven’t tested that out yet! Here are my thoughts:

• 8-inch round pan: typically fits about 6 cups, so you could likely split the batter between 2 round pans.
• 9×13 inch pan: has a 14 cup capacity, so all of the batter will fit.
• 10-inch springform pan: holds approximately 12 cups of batter like a bundt pan, however the baking time will likely increase due to the lack of hole in the center of the pan.

The above are alternative pan options that you might mostly likely have on hand. Baking times will all be different, so you’ll need to keep an eye on your cake as it bakes.

How much pumpkin puree do I need? 

You’ll need one 15-oz. can of pumpkin puree for this recipe. That’s equivalent to 425g, or 1 ¾ cups of pumpkin puree. 

Can this bundt cake be made with homemade pumpkin puree? 

Yes, you can use homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe.

Note that homemade puree contains more moisture than canned puree, so you’ll need to spread the puree onto a paper towel-lined plate and blot the excess moisture from the top using additional paper towels before adding it to the cake batter.  

Can the pumpkin puree be substituted in this cake recipe? 

I have not tested it, but I feel reasonably comfortable saying that you could replace the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree or butternut squash puree provided the consistency is similar to pumpkin puree. 

Can I substitute pumpkin pie spice for the individual spices? 

Yes! You can replace the individual spices in the recipe for an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.  

Do I have to add the cream cheese glaze? 

No, feel free to leave it off if it is easier for you or if you want a cake that’s less dessert-like.

The glaze can be substituted with a dusting of powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, or you can eat the bundt pumpkin cake plain! 

How do I know when a bundt cake is done baking? 

You’ll know the bundt cake is finished baking when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

If any raw batter is still clinging to the toothpick, bake the cake in additional 5-minute increments until done. 

Pumpkin Bundt Cake Storage Instructions 

Once glazed, the cake must be refrigerated since the glaze contains dairy products (heavy cream and cream cheese).

Store the cake in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out. If stored correctly, it will last up to five days in the fridge. 

If making the pumpkin spiced bundt cake in advance, note that the unglazed cake can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop and the glaze can be stored in the fridge until ready to use.  

Can pumpkin bundt cake be frozen? 

Yes! Here’s what you need to do to freeze an entire cake:

1. Flash freeze it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until hard (about 1 hour). Flash freezing the cake prevents glaze from getting messed up once it’s sealed! 
2. Then, wrap the frozen cake in plastic wrap.
3. Place the wrapped, frozen cake in a freezer bag or a bundt cake storage container.

You can also use this method for freezing individual slices. Or, freeze the cake and icing separately for up to 3 months. 

Try This Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe at Home! 

Next time you want to bake with pumpkin puree, give this pumpkin bundt cake recipe a try! 

Did you think it was delicious? Leave a comment below and give this easy fall bundt cake a review for others to see what you thought.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this glazed bundt pumpkin cake.

More Easy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes: 

This Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Topping is our family’s tried and true pumpkin pie recipe that makes it onto the menu year after year. The pecan topping requires minimal effort but takes plain pumpkin pie to the next level!

These No Bake Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars are so good and so easy! They feature yummy layers of gingersnap crust and no bake pumpkin cheesecake filling. 

This Pumpkin Pudding recipe is the perfect way to celebrate fall! It is easy to prepare, super creamy, and full of all your favorite fall spices. What isn’t to love about this recipe?

This Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake is made with a chocolate cookie crust, creamy pumpkin filling, and is topped with a rich chocolate ganache.

This easy Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake recipe uses Bisquick as a shortcut and is ready in just 30 minutes! It’s the perfect fall breakfast or brunch.

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