PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE with fresh pumpkin and buttercream frosting

Fall is right here, and that means pumpkin season is too! This pumpkin bundt cake is perfect for any occasion and will warm up any cool autumn night.

Pumpkin bundt cake

Who doesn’t love pumpkin spice season? Now is a great time to perfect this pumpkin bundt cake and be sure to have the best dessert at every family gathering this year!

This pumpkin bundt cake is so good, and it’s really easy to make! It’s such a great dessert for fall, and you get pie and cake in the same bite. The pie crust is crunchy on the bottom, and the cake is moist, sweet and gooey with the frosting, and caramel drizzled on top. It’s just a wonderful cake, and stunning to serve for family, and friends. Make sure to put this one in your favorites!

This pumpkin bundt cake recipe has tons of warm comforting fall flavors and is topped with a smooth buttercream frosting that will make it absolutely impossible to turn down and maybe even out of the question to have just one slice. Not to mention the beautiful shape of this wonderful fall bundt cake once it’s turned out of the pan, it won’t need much effort on your part for decoration. Although, there are tons of different ways this pumpkin bundt cake could be decorated to add even more fun to this fall favorite.

Love pumpkin desserts? Check out these recipes!

• Pumpkin donuts in the air fryer
• No churn pumpkin ice cream
• Vegan baked pumpkin donuts
• Air fryer pumpkin snickerdoodles

How to add variety to this cake

• This easy pumpkin cake is perfect to accompany hot cider, this delightful whipped hot chocolate or coffee!
• Add a scoop of this pumpkin ice cream for an extra shot of delicious fall flavors.
• You can even customize it with your favorite add-ins like walnuts or pecans and even chocolate chips.
• The buttercream frosting looks delicious over the top of this cake! But you can skip or replace it with icing to spread over the entire pumpkin bundt cake.
• Sprinkle some chopped nuts over the top or even add sprinkles if you’re looking to add a bit more color!

Tips for baking a beautiful bundt cake

Baking in a bundt pan can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re new to using one. There are tons of different tips to getting your cake out all in one piece, but these are a few of my favorites.

I would recommend always using shortening to grease the pan along with a light coating of flour on the inside. Be sure to knock the excess flour out of the pan before adding the cake batter, and if you see any spots missing grease and flour again or you’ll risk your cake sticking!

Another useful tip is to tilt the pan around a bit once the batter is inside of it, so the batter is slightly higher around the edges. This will help to keep the bottom of your bundt cake from forming a high dome, therefore allowing it to sit flat on your platter.

How do I know if my bundt cake is done?

Patience is key with bundt cakes, and this pumpkin bundt cake is worth the wait! The 40–45 minute bake time may feel like a long time but it’s important to be sure your cake is baked all the way through.

One of the easiest ways to make sure your cake is completely baked is to use a toothpick or wooden skewer. Just stick the toothpick or skewer into the middle of the cake! If it comes out clean your pumpkin spice bundt cake is ready to come out of the oven, though if it comes out with batter or is sticky then it’s best to leave the cake in for a bit longer.

You can also tell it’s finished by very gently pressing down on the top of the cake, if it feels firm it’s probably close, but the toothpick method is one of the best options to be sure.

Do you cool a bundt cake before flipping?

Like I said earlier, patience is key with this pumpkin bundt cake and that especially means with the cooling process.

Once your pumpkin cake with fresh pumpkin is out of the oven allow it to cool on the counter for a few minutes before turning it out of the pan. This will take a good 20-30 minutes. But you can make your buttercream frosting in the meantime.

If your bundt cake isn’t completely cooled when you begin to frost, the heat will melt your frosting and you will end up with a pool of frosting at the bottom of your cake. The longer you can wait to frost your pumpkin cake the better it will turn out.

Frosting is one of the most fun parts of this recipe! You can frost in different patterns like zigzags or swirls, or even cover it completely in frosting and then add a garnish like chopped pecans or walnuts. Covering the top completely can also help if you had a couple pieces stick in the pan, just try to fill in any holes as much as possible with the cake from the pan and cover it up with the frosting!

How to get the cake out of the bundt pan

After your cake has cooled gently turn your cake out of your pan onto your serving platter or a cooling rack. I find the easiest way to do this is to turn my platter upside down over my cake and flip them together while holding the platter tightly against the pan.

If the cake doesn’t come out of the pan right away that’s okay, there’s still hope! Try giving the pan a few gentle taps around the edges, this will usually give the cake a little help unsticking and falling out.

If this doesn’t work leave the pan upside down and leave it to sit for another 10-15 minutes. The cake should fall out of the pan on its own once it’s cooled some more.

What do I do if my cake doesn’t come out?

You shouldn’t run into this issue as you’re using pie crust at the bottom. But accidents happen sometimes so if it doesn’t come out at all or in pieces, don’t panic! You may not have the full bundt cake on your hands but you can always use the cake pieces to turn it into a new dessert!

You could try making cake pops or truffles. Just crumble the cake and use a thicker cream cheese icing as a binder instead and roll into balls! Put them on sticks if you’d like, cover them in white chocolate and you’re good to go! You could even make a pumpkin spice bundt cake trifle by layering cake pieces, whipped cream, and salted caramel and nuts.

The possibilities are endless with this bundt cake, and it will be an absolute hit with anyone you decide to show your bundt cake skills to!

What do you need to make pumpkin bundt cake?

• Flour
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Vegetable Oil
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Vanilla
• Eggs
• fresh pumpkin
• Pre-made Pie Crust

For the Butter cream Frosting:

• Butter – softened
• Cream Cheese – softened
• Powdered Sugar

You’ll also need caramel sauce to drizzle on top but that’s totally optional.

How to make pumpkin bundt cake

To make the cake batter

1. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Mix on low until blended, then mix on high until light and fluffy.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until blended, then mix on medium high for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix again.

To bake the cake

1. Grease and flour the bundt pan. Unroll 1 sleeve of the pie crust, and cut the pie crust in 1 inch strips. Lay the strips, overlapping in the bottom and up the sides of the bundt pan until all pie crust has been used.
2. Pour the cake batter on top of the pie crust.
3. Place the bundt pan in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Remove the bundt pan from the oven to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Then place a heavy wire cooling rack over the top of the Bundt pan. Using oven mitts to hold the handles on the pan, gently flip the cake pan over, turning the cake out onto the wire rack. Let the cake cool completely.

To make the buttercream

1. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and cream cheese. Mix until light and fluffy.
2. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing between additions, until all the powdered sugar is mixed.
3. Remove the bowl from mixer. Make sure the cake is cooled completely.

Decorate the cake

1. Place the frosting in a pastry bag with a large fluted tip. Pipe the frosting on to the top and sides of the cake in thick ribbons, moving the pastry bag back and forth across the cake.
2. Generously drizzle caramel sauce on top of the cake, across the frosting, and pie crust strips.
3. Cut the cake into two to three inch pieces, serve and enjoy!

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