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Pumpkin Cake Bundt Recipe

This tender Pumpkin Cake Bundt Recipe takes a fluffy pumpkin cake and swirls it with a cozy chocolate-spiked cinnamon streusel. Whole grain flour forms its sturdy crumb that holds up well to any type of occasion.

A piece of pumpkin cake with chocolate streusel on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Pumpkin cakes are one of my favorite things: mellow, sweet, and punched up with spices and/or chocolate. This cake is the best of all worlds, with a brown sugar-cocoa-cinnamon swirl throughout. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Rich pumpkin flavor. The two cups of pumpkin puree infuse this cake with gorgeous, mellow pumpkin flavor.
  • Cozy spices. Four ground spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg make this a super cozy cake.
  • Keeps well. I love a sturdy cake that keeps well and this pumpkin cake bundt recipe more than fits the bill. It lasts for almost a week in the fridge or you can freeze it for another time.
A close up of a pumpkin bundt cake in the pan with a baby hand reaching toward it.

How to Make This Pumpkin Cake Bundt Recipe

You’ll find the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Brown sugar – Light or brown sugar is fine
  • Cocoa powder – Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Cinnamon

FOR THE CAKE

  • Whole wheat pastry flour – Or substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • Ground spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg
  • Baking soda – To help the cake rise
  • Salt – I use fine-grain sea salt in my baking recipes
  • Applesauce – Use unsweetened applesauce, or substitute melted butter
  • Olive oil – Or substitute vegetable oil
  • Brown sugar – Use dark brown sugar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Pumpkin puree – Use unsweetened pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix
  • Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavor

How to Make Pumpkin Cake with Streusel:

  1. Make streusel: Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Make cake: Preheat the oven and grease a bundt pan. Whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, oil, brown sugar, and raw sugar or maple syrup. Add the eggs one at a time, then the pumpkin and vanilla.
  4. Combine: Stir in the flour mixture and mix to incorporate.
  5. Assemble: Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan then sprinkle the streusel over the batter and top with the remaining batter.
  6. Bake: Bake for about 1 hour then cool on a rack.
A close up of a pumpkin bundt cake in the pan.

Tips and Variation Suggestions

I love this simple, wholesome cake! Here are a few suggestions to help you make it:

  • Make it gluten-free. You can substitute your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour.
  • Make it refined sugar-free. To make this cake refined sugar-free, substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar and maple syrup for the granulated sugar.
  • Substitute all-purpose flour. If you wish, swap the whole-grain pastry flour with all-purpose flour.
  • Try pureed sweet potato. For a lovely sweet potato bundt cake, substitute 2 cups of unsweetened sweet potato puree for the pumpkin.
  • Other spices. You can swap the cinnamon in the streusel for another ground spice, such as ginger, cardamom, or a combination.
  • Add chocolate chips. Raise the chocolate ante by throwing in 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips to the cake batter!
A piece of pumpkin streusel on a plate with a fork.

Proper Storage

  • Counter – Wrap or cover leftover pumpkin bundt cake with foil and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
  • Fridge – Store the covered cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Freezer – Wrap the cake tightly in plastic and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to thaw it completely in the fridge before eating.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Streusel

Nicole Spiridakis
This tender Pumpkin Cake Bundt Recipe takes a fluffy pumpkin cake and swirls it with a cozy chocolate-spiked cinnamon streusel. Whole grain flour forms its sturdy crumb that holds up well to any type of occasion.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the cinnamon streusel

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake

  • 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée , or 2 cups pureed pumpkin
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Make the streusel:
  • Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.
  • Make the cake:
  • Heat the oven to 350℉. Grease a bundt pan (or regular springform pan) with butter and then flour, tapping out the excess.
  • Whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, oil, brown sugar, and raw sugar or maple syrup. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until each is incorporated. Whisk in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract until very smooth and well combined.
  • Stir and whisk in the flour mixture and mix just until flour is no longer visible.
  • Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter evenly. Top with the remaining batter.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Flip the cake out onto the rack and cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 179mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 5gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 102IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

2 Comments

  1. I am making this right now, and I wanted to let you know that you don’t mention adding the applesauce or the maple syrup in the directions. Luckily I had put all the ingredients out ahead of time so I noticed that those hadn’t been used! I just mixed them in right before the flour mixture. Hopefully it’ll turn out…30 more minutes of baking!

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