Though pumpkin recipes dominate in the fall, there’s no need to wait for a specific season to bake this pumpkin Bundt cake. It uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients that can be mixed together at any time of the year. The only hard part is waiting an hour for the cake to bake—the aroma that comes from the oven is incredible!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Sugar: Granulated sugar helps set the stage for this recipe and mixes well with the canola oil to provide plenty of flavor.
- Oil: Instead of butter, this recipe uses canola oil as the fat, adding moisture and helping bind ingredients. Don’t have canola oil on hand? Use olive oil.
- Flour: All-purpose flour adds structure to cake recipes. To avoid clumps, either sift or whisk the flour before adding it to the cake batter.
- Spices: This pumpkin spice Bundt cake is full of flavor thanks to cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Cinnamon comes in two basic types: Ceylon and cassia. Ceylon cinnamon’s delicate, complex flavor is ideal for ice creams and simple sauces. The spicy, bolder cassia cinnamon (often labeled simply as cinnamon) is preferred for baking.
- Pumpkin: Try one of our Test Kitchen’s choices for the best canned pumpkin for this recipe. Canned pumpkin adds amazing moisture and plays a role in developing the soft texture of this cake.
Directions
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil until blended.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground cloves.
Step 3: Combine all the ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the canned pumpkin. Beat well after each addition.
Step 4: Bake the cake
Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan or Bundt pan. Transfer the batter to the pan. Bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Editor’s Tip: Here are some pointers for how to grease a Bundt pan.
Step 5: Cool and flip the cake
Remove the cake from the oven, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and invert it onto a wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Then, dust the top with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Top with frosting: While this pumpkin spice Bundt cake is tasty on its own, a generous amount of cream cheese frosting makes it even better. You could also use maple frosting. Here’s how to frost a Bundt cake.
- Drizzle with glaze: Use a quick vanilla glaze or maple glaze to dress up the cake in minutes.
- Add toasted nuts: This pumpkin Bundt cake is the perfect recipe for mix-ins such as chopped walnuts or pecans. Another great addition? Mini chocolate chips!
How to Store Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Store leftovers in an airtight container or under a cake dome to preserve freshness. Keep this pumpkin Bundt cake at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to five days. If you add cream cheese frosting on top, store the cake only in the fridge rather than leaving it out at room temperature.
Can you freeze pumpkin Bundt Cake?
Baked Bundt cakes can easily be stored in the freezer and kept for up to three months. To freeze a Bundt cake, wrap the cooled cake in two layers of storage wrap or store it in an airtight freezer bag. Let the cake defrost in the fridge overnight or on the countertop at room temperature until it’s soft enough to dig in.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake Tips
Can you use fresh pumpkin for pumpkin Bundt cake?
Yes, you can absolutely use fresh pumpkin puree for this Bundt cake recipe. If you choose to go this route, be sure to use the same amount of fresh pumpkin puree as canned pumpkin called for in the ingredients. Of course, canned pumpkin has many advantages, including having more consistent results, being simpler to use and being more accessible.
How do you get a Bundt cake out of a pan if it’s sticking?
We have a few tips on how to get a cake out of a Bundt pan. First, it’s important to let your cake cool before trying to flip and remove it from the pan. If it still seems stuck, tap or bang it on a dish towel on top of the counter. Another option is to leave it upside-down on the wire rack and wait for gravity to do its job.
What kind of Bundt pan is best for pumpkin cake?
There are a variety of Bundt pan designs, with some far more intricate than others. Designs such as a braided, fleur-de-lis and crown Bundt pans produce stunning cakes, but it is a bit trickier to remove the cake cleanly from these pans because of the grooves. If you’re new to baking with Bundt pans, stick with simpler pan designs that have more rounded edges.
Can you use another size cake pan?
Yes, you can divide the batter between two greased 9-inch round cake pans or a 13×9-inch rectangular pan.
