Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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

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