Is it even fall if we don't indulge in as much pumpkin spice flavor as possible? This is full of fall flavor and stays moist for days.
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Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Moist pumpkin bundt cake with glaze stays moist for days.
- Since you can make this ahead of time it's great for fall weekends, bake sales, potlucks, and sitting around in your favorite flannel shirt with a cup of coffee.
- This recipe used brown butter in the glaze as well as the cake. It makes a huge difference in flavor and it's easy to make with the instructions below.
An amazing pumpkin bundt cake is one of the best things about autumn—and your family is sure to agree!
Whether you plan to make it for the holiday festivities, a big dinner party, or another special occasion, pumpkin bundt cake is the perfect dessert to enjoy during the fall season.
If you don't have much time and want super super easy try this 3-ingredient pumpkin spice cake.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- You can make and use homemade pumpkin puree after visiting the pumpkin patch! However, I like to use canned to keep things simple. It is an easy pumpkin bundt cake recipe, after all!
- Look for pumpkin pie flavored syrup near the coffee or baking sections (use a brand like Torani or Monin.) If you can't find it, you can enhance the pumpkin flavor with maple syrup or additional vanilla extract.
- If you don't cook with alcohol, substitute the bourbon with an extra 2 tablespoons of buttermilk or ¼ cup ginger ale.
- You can replace buttermilk with quite a few things, like sour cream or yogurt. Here are some ideas and ways to make your own buttermilk.
- Though most agree this is the perfect cake as written, some people like to fold in white chocolate chips or toasted pecans for more texture.
- Portion the batter into mini bundt pans! Mini pumpkin bundt cakes are great to have on hand for last-minute guests, bake sales, hostess gifts, or late-night cravings after cleaning for holiday visitors!
- If you have a bundt pan with an intricate design, spray it thoroughly with baker's release spray rather than using butter and flour.
- Make a cream cheese glaze by replacing half of the butter (from the icing portion of the recipe) with cream cheese.
- You could also frost the whole cake with my whipped cream cheese frosting.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Combine flour with the other dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Fold the pumpkin into the beaten, wet ingredients.
- Alternate blending the flour mixture, buttermilk, and pumpkin mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake.
🎥 Video: How to make brown butter
🥫How to store pumpkin bundt cake
This is the best pumpkin cake I've had.
Not only is it fabulously delicious, but it also stores really well. I don't know how it's possible, but the cake actually tastes even better the next day.
Cover the cooled cake tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also cover the plastic wrap with aluminum foil and freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
This delicious cake tastes great at room temperature or warmed—pair it with a cup of coffee for instant autumn comfort!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: When making brown butter, keep a close eye on the temperature of your stove. Don't let the butter burn! For best results, simmer the butter over medium-low, swirling frequently, until it starts to turn golden and then deeper brown in color.
- Use a light-colored pan when making brown butter so you can see the actual color. It will keep you from over-cooking it.
- The warm, fall spices really make this pumpkin spice bundt cake stand out. For optimal flavor, use fresh spices.
- I buy my spices in bulk because they're less expensive and fresher—the aroma is ahhhh-mazing!
- The chipotle powder is optional, but I like it because it brings a smoky-spicy pop to the pumpkin pie spice.
- If possible, use freshly grated nutmeg for the best pumpkin spice flavor.
- Always mix the cake batter gently so that the gluten in the flour doesn't develop and become tough. Just mix until all the ingredients are incorporated to ensure a super moist pumpkin bundt cake!
- To get an even, delicious cake all the way through, drop or tap the bottom of your bundt pan on the counter a few times after filling it. This will pop any air bubbles and ensure consistent texture throughout.
- Sift your powdered sugar over a medium bowl before making it into a glaze to prevent lumps.
- The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides. The interior will register 210F on an insta-read thermometer.
👩🍳 FAQs
Absolutely NOT. Pumpkin pie filling has lots of ingredients other than pumpkin. There's too much liquid for a cake. Pumpkin puree (solid pack pumpkin) is pure pumpkin without other ingredients.
Brown butter (sometimes referred to as browned butter) is the result of simmering the butter until the milk fats have toasted. It provides baked goods with a deep, decadent, nutty flavor. Once you try it, you'll never want anything different again!
If you're currently baking and just realized you don't have dark, you can. However, brown sugar adds a deeper layer of caramelly flavor that enhances pumpkin desserts. The flavor of light or golden brown sugar will get lost.
The pumpkin bundt cake is done when the sides of the cake just start to pull away from the pan. If you stick an instant-read thermometer into the center of the cake it will read 210 degrees F.
Let the cake cool for ten minutes in the pan on a wire rack before flipping the pan over onto a cake plate or serving platter. As long as you followed the pumpkin cake recipe closely and greased your pan well, it will drop as it cools.
📚 Related recipes
- This Pumpkin Bread has sweet bourbon glaze and crunchy pecans. Plus, it comes together quickly, and freezes well—a perfect fall treat!
- Maple glaze is the crowning touch on these rich, tender Pumpkin Scones—just like from Starbucks, but without the long lines!
- Any Pumpkin Cheesecake is good, but with a creamy filling, spicy gingersnap crust, and Jack Daniel's caramel? Oh, it's really good.
📞 The last word
Moist pumpkin bundt cake recipe is full of cozy autumn spices, golden brown butter, and smoky bourbon. It's just the right addition to a good book, a long afternoon, and a cup of tea.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Glaze
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Cake
- ¾ cup butter, melted and allowed to turn golden brown then cooled
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon chipotle powder, optional
- 16 ounces pumpkin puree, 1-¾ cups
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup bourbon, may use substitute and extra 2 tablespoons buttermilk OR ¼ cup ginger ale
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
Brown Butter Glaze
- ½ cup butter, melted and allowed to turn golden brown
- 3 cups Confectioner's sugar, or enough to make a thick glaze
- 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Pie flavored syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Heavy cream as needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease the bundt pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Beat cooled butter and sugars until well mixed.
- Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Fold in pumpkin.
- Add flour and buttermilk alternately and mix until smooth.
- Spoon into baking pan.
- Bake at 350F until done, about 50-65 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes and then remove from pan to cool.
Glaze
- Mix all ingredients except cream until smooth.
- Add cream to get the consistency you want.
- Spoon over warm cake.
Notes
- Use fresh spices.
- I always use whole nutmeg and grate it myself.
- Mix the batter gently so that the flour doesn't develop gluten.
- If the bundt pan is a very intricate pattern use baker's release spray rather than buttering and flouring.
- Once the batter is in the bundt pan hold it about 3 or 4 inches above the counter and drop it. The process of dropping it breaks up any large bubbles in the batter and creates a more dense cake.
- The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides. The interior will register 210F on an insta-read thermometer.
- Be sure to let it cool 10 minutes in the pan before flipping the pan over. It will drop to the cake plate as it cools.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published October 2009. Last updated August 21, 2023, for editorial improvements.
A Note from Marye ~
This was originally posted in October 2009. I didn't know it at the time but within a few days my life was going to radically change. I had no clue what was coming and I was totally unprepared.
Some of y'all know my story; one that I have seen repeated over and over in so many people. A stay-at-home mom becomes a single mom overnight and her entire world crashes around her.
But she survives and eventually, she thrives. If you are in the midst of it please know - you will get through this. AND you'll thrive.
I've come a long way since then, both in my blog and in my personal life but I thought this recipe was worth reshooting and reposting. There have been a few little changes along the way - I hope you love this as much as I do. As always, thanks for being a part of my life and allowing me into yours ~
❤️ Marye
What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
Lorraine F Haley says
Maryle: I would like to make this recipe in the smaller Bundt pans. How long should I bake them.
Marye says
That would depend on the size of the pans. Cupcake size probably about 15-20 minutes.
Cathy says
To whom it may Concern; in the pumpkin spice cake recipe, you forgot to add when to add the brown sugar.
Marye says
You add it in with the granulated sugar. 🙂
Elena says
This looks lovely! I just made a pumpkin pound cake, it's hitting the spot right now!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
I don't try things with browned butter nearly as often as I should. I'll have to add this to my repertoire!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Dear Marye, I love this beautiful cake! 🙂 Can't believe fall is just around the corner....I always grate my own nutmeg too. It's like therapy, just the smell....
Elle says
Oh, it's perfect! I think the browned butter really brings the whole thing together!
maryeaudet says
Elle, it does..and if you roast the pumpkin rather than used canned it is just out of this world... seriously.