This pumpkin bundt cake is soft and moist, covered in fluffy cream cheese frosting and crunchy pecans. Every bite is filled with cozy spice and rich pumpkin flavor with a finish of nutty crunch. It’s the perfect fall dessert!
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Moist pumpkin cake smothered with cream cheese frosting, need I say more? This pumpkin bundt cake recipe is an easy fall dessert made with less sugar and plenty of cozy spices.
- Packed with pumpkin flavor. The main star of the show is the pumpkin puree. It infuses every inch of this bundt cake with pumpkin flavor while keeping the texture extra soft and moist.
- Silky cream cheese frosting. On top of that, you have the light and velvety cream cheese frosting that’s made without any powdered sugar. It uses Greek yogurt for a fluffy frosting texture and maple syrup to sweeten it up. You’ll never make another cream cheese frosting again!
- Pecans for crunch. Finally, the cake is topped off with a sprinkle of chopped pecans. You can toast them for added flavor or substitute them for another chopped nut of your choice. Either way, this cake is bound to turn some heads and delight some taste buds.
The pumpkin cake itself is dairy-free, and you can always swap the cream cheese frosting for coconut whipped cream. If you’re looking for fall baking ideas, check out my banana pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice coffee cake, or any of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
What You’ll Need
Both the cake and frosting keep the ingredients super simple. Below are some quick notes, and you’ll find the printable ingredients list and measurements in the recipe card after the post.
For the Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Puree – I recommend using canned puree over homemade puree, which tends to be too watery.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – Applesauce adds moisture and works as a binder in baked goods like this bundt cake and my pumpkin cupcakes. You can use store-bought, or try this homemade Instant Pot applesauce.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a good quality extract for optimal results.
- Eggs – If you think of it, let them come to room temperature beforehand.
- Sugar – I use both brown and white granulated sugar. Altogether, this cake only uses 1 cup of sugar.
- Flour – Go for white whole wheat flour. You can use a gluten-free alternative if necessary.
- Spices – This recipe uses pumpkin pie spice, which is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. I like to amp it up with extra cinnamon and salt.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – You’ll need 1 teaspoon of each to give your cake the perfect rise. Check the expiration dates on the packages and make sure you’re using fresh leavening.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese – Use the cream cheese that comes in bricks. You’ll need it softened.
- Plain Greek Yogurt – You can also replace Greek yogurt with regular yogurt.
- Vanilla Extract – Make sure it’s real vanilla extract (or vanilla paste) and not imitation. You’ll taste the difference!
- Maple Syrup – Like the vanilla, be sure to use real maple syrup and not the artificial kind. You could also sweeten the frosting with honey if you prefer, or brown sugar.
- Pecans – Chopped into pieces of your desired size for garnish.
How to Make a Pumpkin Bundt Cake
You’ll need one bowl each for the pumpkin cake batter and frosting, that’s it! Scroll down to the recipe card for printable step-by-step instructions.
- Make the cake batter. First, cream together the wet ingredients with both sugars. Then, mix in the flour and dry ingredients until the batter is just combined.
- Bake. Pour your pumpkin cake batter into a greased and floured bundt cake pan. Bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes. Let the bundt cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting it onto a rack. It’ll need to cool to room temperature before you frost it.
- Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese with Greek yogurt, vanilla, and maple syrup until the frosting is silky smooth.
- Frost and serve. Spread a thick layer of frosting over the top of the bundt cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Slice and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Make sure you’re using 100% canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has sweeteners and additives that will mess with the flavor and texture of the bundt cake.
- Use softened cream cheese. Cream cheese that’s cold from the fridge won’t combine properly with the frosting ingredients. Take the cream cheese out 30 minutes ahead of time to soften to room temperature, or you can soften the cream cheese quickly in the microwave (about 10 seconds usually does the trick).
- Grease and flour the pan. It’s very important to grease AND flour the bundt pan thoroughly. This ensures that your cake will slide out of the pan with ease.
- Don’t let the cake cool fully in the pan. Let your pumpkin bundt cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes (no longer than 10-15 minutes) after baking. Remove it from the pan before you let it cool completely, otherwise, the cake might get stuck.
- Cool the cake before frosting. Hold off on frosting your cake until it’s fully cooled. If it’s still warm, the frosting will melt right off the top!
- Use whipped cream instead. As much as I adore this cream cheese frosting, sometimes I’m more in the mood for whipped cream. You can also try the dairy-free coconut whipped cream from this chocolate bowls tutorial.
- Different toppings. Instead of or in addition to the frosting, top this pumpkin bundt cake with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Another easy option is to dust the top with powdered sugar.
- Add nuts. Want to add some more crunch to your pumpkin bundt cake? In addition to sprinkling crushed pecans on top of the frosting, fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the cake batter.
- Add chocolate chips. Make a delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cake by folding chocolate chips into the cake batter. And any kind of chocolate goes great with pumpkin spice (semi-sweet, dark chocolate, white chocolate).
How to Store Leftover Bundt Cake
- Refrigerate. The frosted pumpkin cake should be refrigerated in an airtight container. If you’ve left off the frosting, you can keep it at room temperature instead. It will last for 4-5 days. Consider bringing your cake to room temperature before serving it if it’s been sitting in the fridge.
- Freeze. The unfrosted cake can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrap the entire cooled cake or individual slices in plastic wrap, then place the cake into a sealed freezer bag. Remove as much air from the bag as you can before sealing it. Thaw out frozen cake in the fridge before frosting and serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Healthy Apple Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Brownies
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This pumpkin bundt cake recipe is soft and moist, filled with fall spices, and covered in a fluffy cream cheese frosting with chopped pecans. It’s a festive and easy fall dessert!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/3 cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Grease and flour a bundt cake pan, then set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Use a whisk to mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract and eggs in a large bowl. Then, stir in the white whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before flipping it out onto a rack to cool completely.
- Use an electric hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, greek yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Frost the top of the bundt cake and sprinkle it with the chopped pecan pieces. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Shugary Sweets
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 189
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 259 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
28 comments on “Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting”
Hi I so want to try your bundt cake but i am wondering is it just one cup of flour for the recipe? And how many servings Thank You
yes, it is 1 cup of whole wheat flour and it makes one bundt cake which is about 12 servings.
I don’t even know you. I just searched for a pumpkin Bundt cake recipe and God brought me something so much better! A message to stop being stuck and get up and walk! Thank you for that! I love how even 4 years after your post God continues to meet me right here, right now , right when I need to hear that! And I seriously can’t wait to make the cake too!
ohhh that makes my heart happy, THAT is why I blog! I love that you find hope and a yummy recipe! 🙂
Hi, I think your blog is awesome and you have done a fantastic job curating. In regards to this post I was curious to know how you are able to get your bundt cake to come out the pan without the top part of the cake breaking off. I’ve tried everything I feel imaginable from oil, sprinkling flour, and even setting the pan in water yet it still breaks. Thank you in advance for any helpful tips you can provide.
Hmm… Is the pan you’re using a good dark non-stick bundt pan. If not, that might be why it’s sticking. I have a dark non-stick pan, spray it with Pam all over and then thats it. (sometimes I’ll lightly flour, but you really don’t need to) I hope it works out Erica!
Such a great message Krista. Thanks for sharing it with us! Such words and such an example that Jesus is teaching us to live by. <3
Thank you so much Nancy, that means so much! 🙂 You totally made my day!
Thanks for the spiritual thought! It is just what I needed for the class that I am teaching on Sunday.
ohhh.. thank you so much Terese! I hope the class goes great! 🙂
This cake looks fabulous!
Thanks Sharon!
I need this message and this cake today! <3 It's beautiful and I can't want to make it! !
Ohh glad to hear it girl! And yeah for cake! 🙂
I love that story, and I love it even more because it’s true. It really happened! God can and does work miracles, I’ve seen them myself!
Now this cake, wow! Looks super yummy!!
It really is true! 🙂 And I can’t wait to have my story completed… because it will be! 🙂
“Get up and walk”, I love that Krista and it’s something I needed to hear today. I also love the look of this bundt cake which also looks like something I need today 🙂
I think we all need to hear it today! So glad it touched you today! And woot woot for cake! 🙂
This is just the perfect fall dessert — love it!
Thank you Dee!
That looks like the perfect ratio of frosting to cake! I’m ready for dessert. Looks incredible!
haha.. right! 🙂
I cannot get over that frosting on there! I am not crazy about pumpkin, but I will admit I have been trying it more and more and this cake seems perfect for my next adventure!
Definitely the perfect next adventure! Plus … ITS CAKE!
I think we all get “stuck” in our circumstances from time to time; I know I certainly do. what a perfect message to get the week of f to a great start. that and a slice or two of cake are all I need
Thank you so much Heather! You are so right! 🙂 And hurray for cake! 🙂
I bought a new bundt pan and it needs to be used! I knew I was holding out for the right recipe! This sounds delicious! I cannot wait to try this frosting!
Yup this is definitely the right recipe! The frosting is my favorite, it’s killer! 🙂 Enjoy girl!