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Hi Bold Bakers!
Fall is here, folks. This is not a drill! It’s time for pumpkin everything! There’s no better way to kick off pumpkin season than starting with this delicious pumpkin bundt cake with the most wonderful brown sugar glaze.
This homemade pumpkin bundt cake has everything I want in a fall dessert: it’s moist and full of warm spices and, of course, pumpkin. To round out those flavors, the glaze lends a wonderful caramel sweetness. It tastes a lot like pumpkin pie, but I have to say, it’s a lot easier to make.
Warning: baking this cake will fill your house with lovely fall smells. You might want to go apple picking next.
Bake this cake for a nice dessert after dinner, then enjoy it for breakfast the next day!
What Is Pumpkin Bundt Cake?
This bundt cake recipe gets its flavor from pumpkin puree and my homemade pumpkin pie spice — the perfect combination of sweet and savory spices. The secret ingredient though is sour cream. Seriously, don’t skip it! It’s what makes this cake moist and the slight tang really makes the cake come alive.
What You Need To Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Brown Sugar Glaze
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 12-cup (2.8 liter) bundt pan
- Mixing bowls (or bowl of a stand mixer)
- Small saucepan
How To Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Brown Sugar Glaze
This cake comes together super easily; here’s how you make a pumpkin bundt cake (get the full recipe down below!):
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 12-cup (2.8 liters) bundt pan by buttering it and flouring it.
- Combine the brown sugar, butter, and oil in a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until they become light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and beat well, then add in the pumpkin puree and sour cream. Mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until evenly mixed.
- Pour the batter into your bundt pan and back for about an hour, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- All the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a write rack. Allow it to cool completely before topping with glaze.
- To make the glaze, combine the butter, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and it no longer feels gritty to the touch.
- Allow the glaze to cool until it is slightly thickened but still pourable. Drizzle it over the cake and let it set before serving.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Brown Sugar Glaze
- Always be sure your cake ingredients are at room temperature for the evenest mixing and best rise.
- Make a batch of my homemade mixed spice and use it in place of the pumpkin pie spice if you’d like something different.
- Go traditional by using my homemade pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Pumpkins and chocolate are a great combination – try adding 1 cup (6oz/170g) of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter just before you pour the cake into the pan to make a pumpkin chocolate chip cake.
- Serve warmed slices of this cake with my homemade salted caramel gelato for a cozy treat.
- This is a nice alternative to pumpkin pie for a Thanksgiving dessert!
How Do I Store Pumpkin Bundt Cake?
You can store leftover pumpkin bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Get More Pumpkin Recipes!
- Best-Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Homemade Brown Sugar
- Pumpkin Puree
- The Greatest Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cobbler
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups (15oz/425g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) butter , softened
- ½ cup (4floz/120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature
- 1 can (15oz/425g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) sour cream , at room temperature
- 3 cups (15oz/426g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Glaze:
- 6 tablespoons (3oz/85g) butter
- 2/3 cup (4oz/115g) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter and flour a 12-cup (2.8 liter) Bundt pan. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar, butter and oil in a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and beat well, followed by the pumpkin puree and sour cream. Mix until fully combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and then fold into the wet ingredients until evenly mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about an hour, until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, make the glaze: in a small saucepan over medium-low heat combine the butter, brown sugar, cream and vanilla and cook until the sugar is dissolved and no longer feels gritty to the touch.
- Let the glaze cool until thickened but still pourable. Drizzle over the cake and let set before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can you make these as mini-bundt
cakes? I’ve been baking a lot for my work friends but it is easier to have individual cakes instead of a big Bundt. Thanks for your help 🙂
Can this be made into mini bundts and if so how many
I’d love to make this but I’m in France and I haven’t seen pumpkin puree in cans. May I use homemade pumpkin puree?
I made this cake yesterday for a dinner party. The cake turned out perfectly, however, I rushed the glaze, totally my fault. I was running a little late and although I thought I cooked it long enough, the sugar had not entirely dissolved so it was a little gritty. I also didn’t let it cool long enough so it didn’t really stick to the cake. The good news is, everyone loved it! I will definitely make it again but I will allow plenty of time so that the glaze will be as perfect as the cake! I still gave it… Read more »
I made this for a family Halloween party and it was a huge hit. One if my sisters said she liked the balance between the spices and the pumpkin. And everyone loved the brown sugar sauce. I already have a request to make it again.
Hi Gemma,what can i use instead of pumpkin pie spice?
Alexa says, according to Spruce.com, 1c all purpose flour weighs 128 grams but I’m finding lots of differences in this, depending upon the web site. Very confusing for sure.
Decided to try this cake but the flour amount is confusing. 1 cup of flour weighs 120 grams. The recipe says 3c. flour so that would be 360g. Why the reference to 426g.?
I made this today! It’s delicious! I think my brown sugar glaze was not thick enough, it was almost all absorbed by the cake a few minutes after I poured it lol. I added on top of the glaze a caramel spread I had in my pantry!
Is it possible to make the frosting without the heavy cream, so it would be like a glaze I guess? Will it still taste good or should I just leave the frosting off altogether? Thank you!