Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This flavorful pumpkin bundt cake is incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and dotted with melty chocolate chips. Prefer your pumpkin cake plain? Leave the chocolate chips out!

I feel like it’s been the official Fall/pumpkin baking season for months now. But my brain is all skewed, my thoughts are all upside-down, I put my shirt on backwards this morning (No, really. I did.) and I haven’t slept more than 3 hours at a time in about a million years. My daughter, Noelle, is 7 weeks tomorrow, she’s the light of our entire world, and my socks are definitely mismatched right now.

But one thing is certain! We have less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving and if pie just isn’t your thing, I give you a pumpkin bundt cake. And if you’re pumpkin-ed out by now, you certainly need more salted caramel and chocolate in your life. Because this pumpkin bundt cake has ’em both.

Moist and dense, this pumpkin bundt cake delivers BIG. It’s not quite as heavy as a pound cake or quite as light as my favorite pumpkin cake. Instead, it meets somewhere in the middle and this place is called calorie-town.

How to Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake

The process couldn’t be easier; this bundt cake requires just 2 bowls: 1 for wet and 1 for dry. The ingredients are all kitchen staples like flour, spices, vanilla, and eggs. Oil is the fat used in this pumpkin cake, so you’re guaranteed a super moist cake from the start. If calorie-town isn’t a place you wanna be, you can sub unsweetened applesauce for half of the oil. Just as moist!

My favorite part, and this is just me being a total nerd, is that the cake uses an entire standard can of pumpkin. I always appreciate recipes calling for the whole can because you’re not stuck with a random 1/4 cup leftover. (Though it’s so good stirred into oatmeal with a splash of pure maple syrup!)

Here’s my favorite bundt pan. Super quality, heavy-duty, great price, never warps, awesome rubber grips. You need a 9.5 or a 10-inch pan.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake Toppings!

Like the best things in the kitchen life, we’ll shower this pumpkin bundt with salted caramel. Even though salted caramel is legit liquid gold, it doesn’t hold anything to the delicious pumpkin crumb underneath. That’s saying a lot! Because you all know how much I love salted caramel.

Other options:

• Brown Butter Icing
• Maple Icing
• Chocolate Ganache
• Homemade Whipped Cream
• Brown Sugar Glaze
• Orange Glaze

Instead of chocolate chips, this pumpkin bundt cake would be fantastic with a chai spice swirl. (Having a chai moment this fall, remember?) Pumpkin + chai will definitely steal the spotlight at your Thanksgiving dessert table.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Yield: serves 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 65 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes (includes cooling)

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 and ¾ cups (340g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 and ½ cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil*
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)*
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• optional topping: salted caramel, brown butter icing, or maple icing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9.5 or 10-inch bundt pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
3. Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake so don't be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven.
4. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours inside the pan. Then, invert the slightly cooled bundt cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely before drizzling with salted caramel (or icing) and serving.
5. Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for a couple days and/or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Make ahead tip: You can make the entire cake ahead of time (before topping with salted caramel or icing). Cover cooled cake and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before icing and serving. Baked cake can be frozen up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (if desired) before icing and serving.

Recipe Notes:

Instead of the 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice-- you can use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. (Still add the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.)

*Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake is just as moist.

*I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree over homemade in this recipe, though 2 cups of homemade would work just fine. I found the flavor better with canned. I prefer Libby's brand for this cake.

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