This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission if you purchase via affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details.
This tender, warmly spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe features a simple glaze and crystallised ginger – and there are gluten-free and dairy-free options for the recipe too.
Warming ginger, sweet cinnamon, pungent cloves and aromatic nutmeg all combine to make this Pumpkin Bundt Cake taste amazing. It also makes the house smell lovely while it is baking. Just thinking about this cake gets me excited for autumn’s arrival!
However, while I see my North American family, friends and colleagues getting excited about pumpkin spice, falling leaves and fall baking, my fellow country-folk here in the UK are often less enthusiastic. To be fair, dark, rainy days are more common here than the bright, cool and crisp ones I remember from my time in Canada and the US, so this hesitation is understandable.
But however you feel about the season, there is nothing like a slice of Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a hot drink. I particularly enjoy going all in with a Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Features of This Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
If pumpkin in baked goods is new to you, this delicious Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a wonderful place to start. Here’s why you will love it:-
Warmly flavoured and gently spiced – Warming cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves bring out the flavour of the pumpkin so you can enjoy it at its best.
Tender texture – The pumpkin purée and buttermilk give this cake a lovely lightness.
Elegant enough for entertaining – The pretty Bundt cake shape, glaze and decoration make this pumpkin bundt cake a show-stopper on any table. That said, the glaze and decoration are super-easy to do!
For a Gluten-free option – Substitute 3¾ cups (that’s about 440 grams) of gluten-free one to one flour blend for the 4 cups of all-purpose/plain flour. Be sure to use gluten-free baking powder. These instructions for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake are also in the printable recipe below.
For a Dairy-free Pumpkin Bundt Cake – Use plant based butter or spread and non-dairy milk from the grocery chiller cabinet when I need to make this cake dairy-free. I find coconut milk from the chiller cabinet works well. These instructions are also in the printable recipe below.
To make a gluten-free and dairy-free Pumpkin Bundt Cake, just follow both the gluten-free and dairy-free instructions. I often make this cake to be both a gluten and dairy-free option for Thanksgiving and fall celebrations. I have taken it to 4 Thanksgiving celebrations already, and have been asked to bring it again this year.
A great make ahead bake – The flavours of this cake improve with age, so you can make it a few days before you need it. (I recommend glazing and decorating it 24 hours or less before serving.)
Perfect for anytime – Pumpkin may be seasonal, if you used canned pumpkin purée you can make it all year round.
Tips for Making This Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Be careful about the size of your Bundt pan – This recipe does make a very big cake so do check your Bundt pan first. Most Bundt pans like this one (affiliate link) only hold 12 cups and some are even smaller. If you are not sure how much your pan will hold, remember that a cup is 8 fluid ounces or 250 ml, so carefully count the number of cups or ml of water your bundt pan holds. Be sure to dry the pan thoroughly before greasing and filling with batter.
Do not over-fill the pan – If you don’t have a 14 cup Bundt pan you can make some cupcakes or a couple of mini loaf cakes with the extra batter. These will take less time to bake than the larger cake. I estimate about 15 minutes for cupcakes. It is best to wait to bake these until after the cake is done. You don’t want to open the door of the oven that early in the bake as the main cake could fall.
If you do over-fill your pan and your Pumpkin Bundt Cake develops a puffy bottom, all is not lost. After the cake has cooled, trim the excess cake off the bottom carefully. Then turn the cake over and no one will be any the wiser.
If the thought of throwing away the trimmings has entered your head, dismiss it immediately. I have found that the trimmings are delicious on their own or you can crumble them to make toppings for puddings or other creamy desserts. Not going to use them straight away? Pop the trimmings or crumbled cake into freezer bags and freeze for up to a month. Thaw completely before using.
We used to use more sugar in this recipe, however in my experience using 1½ cups of packed light brown sugar (instead of 2 cups originally called for) gives a better flavour.
Be sure to use the right kind of pumpkin – Not all pumpkins are alike. Culinary pumpkins can be hard to find in the UK because many of the pumpkins available in stores and farm shops here are often field pumpkins. These are best for carving, not eating.
Sugar or pie pumpkin varieties can be very hard to find unless you grow your own. This is why I use canned pumpkin in baked goods. Even if I could find the right kind of pumpkin, making pumpkin puree – peeling, chopping up and stewing a pumpkin – takes a lot of time and effort. Then you need to let the puree drain so it isn’t too watery and leave it to cool before baking with it. Or you can open a can of pumpkin. It’s up to you.
Personally, I have only ever used canned pumpkin in baking. Yes I said it! Even when I lived in Canada, where sugar pie pumpkins were easily available, canned pumpkin is what my mother and aunts, all of whom were excellent good cooks, recommended.
This is the Libby’s canned pumpkin that I have used ever since I can remember. That’s an affiliate link, but honestly, I have baked with Libby’s pumpkin since I was a kid in Canada. I can’t always get it but it is definitely my brand of choice.
Please don’t use the flesh from a Jack o’Lantern after Halloween for baking. Carved pumpkins that have been sitting outside will have dried out and puree made with the flesh will not taste good. It’s also not very hygienic.
Storing and Serving Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Storing the Cake
One the cake is completely cool, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for four to five days.
I have never frozen this cake, but freezing it should work well. If you are not going to be serving the cake all at once, consider slicing it before freezing and putting a bit of greaseproof or parchment paper between the slices before freezing in a suitable container.
Serving the Cake
The glaze and topping are lovely, but this cake is very delicious simply dusted with icing sugar.
Try serving with a scoop of ice cream (vanilla works really well) or a dollop of softly whipped cream.
Fruit also makes a lovely garnish – blackberries are seasonal and really work well with this cake.
If you find you have any leftovers after about 5 days, this cake makes an amazing bread pudding. Or cut the pieces of cake in small squares to make individual trifles. Drizzle with sherry, port or rum and layer with a bit of custard, fruit and cream for a Pumpkin Trifle you will dream of for days.
Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake – Printable Recipe
Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour, plus more for dusting the pan or use 3¾ cups (about 440 grams) one to one gluten-free flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder use gluten-free baking powder if necessary
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan use plant based butter or spread to make the cake dairy-free
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk or plain pouring yogurt use non-dairy milk to make the cake dairy-free.
- 1½ cups canned pumpkin puree This is one 425 gram or roughly 15 ounce can.
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup icing sugar icing sugar is also known as confectioner's sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water or fresh lemon juice
- crystallised ginger, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C, 160° for fan ovens).
- Grease a 14 cup Bundt pan well with butter. (If you only have a 12 cup Bundt pan, grease some cupcake pans or a small loaf pan or two.) Dust the pan(s) with flour, tapping out any excess.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar together in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. This will take 2 or 3 minutes at medium speed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, with a tablespoon of the flour mixture for each, beating well after each addition.
- Don’t forget to scrape down the bowl from time to time.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low.
- Add the remaining flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk (2 additions of each, starting with the flour), beating until just combined.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, blending thoroughly..
- Pour the batter into the Bundt pan until it is just less than three-quarters full. (If you have leftover batter, consider making some cupcakes or even a small loaf cake.)
- Bake the cake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Ideally, the outside should be beginning to turn a light golden brown colour.
- Remove the Bundt pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool.
- After half an hour, carefully turn the cake out of the Bundt pan and on to the wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, mix the icing sugar gradually with the water or lemon juice, until a smooth, drizzle-able consistency is reached. (Go carefully, as you may need more or less liquid.)
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Sprinkle with the chopped crystallised ginger, if using.
- Allow the glaze to dry before slicing and serving.
Notes
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag #apriljharris on Instagram and follow @apriljharris for more.
More Cake Recipes You Will Love
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My favorite cake pan is my bundt pan, I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to bundt cakes and I will add yours to it for inspiration. I bought some canned pumpkin today so I’ll be making this soon.
Thank you so much, Pat, and a special thank you for pinning too! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do when you make it!
This looks beautiful. I’ve never baked a bundt cake before but I feel totally inspired. And I absolutely love the flavours here. Thankfully we can get hold of canned pumpkin in the UK now so I’ll put this on my ‘to bake’ list x
Thank you so much, Anna! You should definitely try baking a bundt. If you get a good bundt pan and grease it well, the cakes just slide out. I was so happy when I finally found canned pumpkin in the UK. When I first arrived nearly 30 years ago we didn’t have it, and I used to bring it back from Canada in my suitcase! x
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday,450. Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you, Miz Helen. I hope your week is going well too!
Your baking is amazing. What a beautiful cake. Pumpkin is definitely an American thing. My husband is from Europe and he can’t seem to get a taste for pumpkin.
Thank you so much, Judee! It’s true, people are very reluctant to embrace pumpkin over here and in Europe. I’m working on converting as many people as I can 😉
Wow. I never tried but will surely try it with this recipe.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Keira! It really is a favourite here 🙂
Your cake looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Enjoy the week…
Thank you, Dixie!
Looks wonderful!
Thank you so much, Julie! I have been making it for years, although I only developed the gluten-free version a year or so ago.
Oh my gosh! I never tried the Pumpkin but I will definitely try this delicious cake. It looks mouthwatering.
It really is delicious – a great introduction to pumpkin if you have never had it before. 🙂