A quick and easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting that's ready for the oven in just 10 minutes! This cake is delicious, moist, sweet and full of warm spices.
I love a good vintage cake recipe, and this one was adapted from an old clipping from the 1970s. There's just something about the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon filling the kitchen that makes it feel like fall. Whether you're baking a fall treat or planning your Thanksgiving dessert table, this Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is sure to disappear fast!
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Why you'll love this Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake:
- Easy to make! Cake batter can be whipped up in about 10 minutes.
- Cake be made in various sized pans including bundt, mini-bundt and a 9x13-inch cake pan.
- Full of warm fall flavors and spices.
- Topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients for pumpkin cake
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Neutral Flavored Vegetable Oil - I used canola oil. This helps create a moist cake.
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour - I use unbleached all-purpose flour. You will sift the flour with the other dry ingredients after you measure it.
- Baking Soda - Needed to help the cake rise.
- Salt
- Spices - Ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. This cake is mildly spiced. Feel free to increase the spices for more of a pumpkin spice cake or substitute pumpkin pie spice. My version is very kid-friendly.
- Pumpkin Puree - Be sure to use 100% canned pumpkin puree and not pie filling. Organic pumpkin puree tends to be more watery, if you use that you may need to adjust with a little more flour.
- Cream Cheese Frosting - Simple recipe made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to make
A quick visual guide to making the pumpkin cake. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.
- Prepare pumpkin cake batter in a large mixing bowl. No stand mixer necessary for this step.
- Transfer batter to a lightly greased bundt cake pan.
- Bake pumpkin cake in preheated oven until top is set and edges are golden brown.
- Let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting using mixer.
- Frost cooled Pumpkin Bundt Cake and garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Don't overmix the batter once you add the flour.
- Let the cake cool before frosting.
- Top frosting with chopped pecans for a fancy finish.
How long to bake?
This pumpkin cake is relatively heavy, so baking time can vary slightly depending on your oven and the temperature of your ingredients. Here are tested baking times for the pumpkin cake in different sized pans:
- Bundt Pan: Bake in preheated oven for 55-70 minutes.
- Mini Bundt Pan: Bake for 15-17 minutes. Be careful not to overfill cups.
- 9x13-inch Cake Pan: Bake for 35-40 minutes. Ensure the center of the cake has risen before removing from the oven so it does not fall. If you feel the edges are browning too quickly, you can cover loosely with foil.
How to tell when the pumpkin cake is done?
The edges of the cake should be slightly pulling away from the pan, and the top should look set. Insert a wooden skewer into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.
Serving and Storage
Serve: Serve this Pumpkin Cake as a dessert. Pairs well with coffee, hot tea or warm apple cider. Optional, garnish with chopped pecans.
Storage: An unfrosted cake can sit out at room temperature for up to 3 days. A frosted pumpkin cake should be refrigerated after 24 hours at room temperature.
Freeze: Freeze baked, unfrosted cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in airtight container.
📖 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup neutral flavored vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 (15- ounce) can pumpkin puree
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
For the pumpkin cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a Bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Whisk in vegetable oil and vanilla extract until combined.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding dry ingredients and pumpkin puree to egg mixture. Stir until the ingredients are incorporated, avoid overmixing.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-70 minutes or until top is set and toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Once cake is cooked, remove from oven and let cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting onto wire rack. Remove pan and let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting and frost cooled cake. Optional, sprinkle chopped pecans over the cream cheese frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter at high speed until fluffy. Add in confectioner's sugar slowly, once sugar is incorporated beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract. Frost cooled cake.
Notes
- For a thicker frosting, add an additional 1 cup of powdered sugar.
- To thin out frosting, add a Tablespoon of half and half or milk.
- This makes enough frosting for a 9x13-inch cake. For a smaller cake, you may want to make half of the frosting recipe.
- Mini Bundt 15-17 minutes
- 9 X 13 inch cake pan 35-40 minutes
Nutrition
I hope you and your loved ones enjoys this Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfect for fall, cozy weekends or Thanksgiving, it's a sweet way to savor the season.
Warmly,
Alaine
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Alaine says
Recipe testers said this cake was "even better than they expected"!