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We’re doctoring up a yellow cake mix to make this extra easy, Fall spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze. The glaze is crazy thick and dreamy with that perfect cream cheese tang and the cake is unbelievably moist thanks to all the pumpkin.
Pumpkin season is the best season and this pumpkin bundt cake doesn’t disappoint!
The Pumpkin Bundt Cake of my Dreams!
I’m a sucker for a bundt cake, especially this pumpkin version that starts with a box of cake mix that we doctor up into something outrageously cozy and pumpkin spice-y.
Personally, I find baking a cake to be a wee bit intimidating so I love the shortcut (and foolproof-ness) of starting with a box mix.
This pumpkin bundt cake starts with yellow cake mix, a whole can of pumpkin gets mixed in for an extra moist cake, and then we add in an entire tablespoon of our homemade pumpkin pie spice to really make the Fall vibes pop.
The cream cheese glaze is the literal icing on the cake – thick and creamy and dreamy in all the right ways with that perfect little twang from the cream cheese.
Check out these other bundt cake recipes: My applesauce cake is heaven, my buttermilk pound cake gives me life, and this cream cheese pound cake could win awards.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Flavors: This cake has it all! It’s got all the wonderful pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor going on plus the sweet cream cheese glaze!
- Extra Moist: We start with a cake mix and then stir in an entire can of pumpkin for an ultra moist cake! Promise this won’t turn out dry or crumbly.
- Seasonal: Pumpkin cake is perfect for the fall season! We love to serve it up for Halloween parties and Thanksgiving dinner! It’s just as good any time of the year though!
Pumpkin Bundt Cake Ingredients:
Yellow Cake Mix – Any brand of yellow cake mix will work. The box mix keeps this pumpkin bundt cake recipe nice and simple! Cake mix box sizes shrink regularly – the standard used to be 18 ounces and now they’re often just 13 ounces. Use somewhere around 15-18 ounces of cake mix and you’ll be fine!
Pumpkin Puree – You’ll need some pure canned pumpkin puree. Make sure you get the puree and not canned pumpkin pie mix.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – Try out my homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe! We use a lot of it and with a homemade mix you can adjust each of the spices to get it just the way you like!
Other – You’ll also need some eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, and water!
Cream Cheese Glaze Ingredients:
Cream Cheese – Use a brick of room temperature cream cheese for the best results.
Butter – You’ll also need some room temperature, softened butter for mixing. We use salted.
Powdered Sugar – To sweeten up the glaze!
Vanilla – Use a good quality vanilla extract to get the best flavor.
My Favorite Vanilla!
Good quality vanilla is a must when it comes to baking! This vanilla extract is rich and flavorful, making it well worth the cost.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake:
Add all of the ingredients for the cake to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Pour the batter into a liberally greased and floured bundt pan and then bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
My Favorite Bundt Pan!
A quality bundt pan is essential! This one is non-stick, budget friendly, and gets used often in my home.
While the cake cools, beat together the glaze ingredients with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Warm the glaze in the microwave until it’s pourable and then drizzle it over the cake. Let it firm back up before slicing and serving.
How to Flip Bundt Cake out of the Pan:
You’ll always want to let your bundt cake cool a bit before trying to remove it from the pan.
I let it cool for 15-20 minutes and then place my cake stand or serving plate upside down on top of the bundt pan.
Flip it over to stand the cake stand upright and, if needed, lightly knock on the bundt pan like you’re knocking on a door. It should slide right out, if you’ve greased and floured your pan well prior to baking.
Why did my Bundt Cake Stick to the Pan?
If your cake is sticking to the pan and just won’t pop out, you likely didn’t grease your pan well or your pan is no longer non-stick. The non-stick coating does wear off after a while and it may be time for a new one to keep life easier for yourself.
I use and love these Nordicware bundt pans.
Bakers Joy is great for spraying on most cake pans, but with a bundt pan and all those nooks and crannies, I really think butter + flour is the way to go.
Just get in there with your hands and make sure you’ve buttered everything well before adding in 1/4 cup of flour and shaking it all around the pan. Dump out the excess.
Helpful Tip!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You’ve got a few options for storing this pumpkin bundt cake recipe!
If you’re going to eat it all within a couple of days it can be stored at room temperature in a covered container or with some plastic wrap.
It’ll last around 5 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze this cake for up to a few months. Wrap it in plastic and foil before storing. If possible, freeze without the glaze.
Recipe FAQs:
It mostly comes down to using a Bundt cake pan to bake the cake. The shape is distinct and different from a typical layered cake or sheet cake.
You can add more of the powdered sugar to thicken the glaze up if necessary. This glaze is already fairly thick and does need to be warmed a bit to get it to that pourable texture.
They are basically the same thing! Canned pumpkin is usually pure pumpkin puree. However, there is canned pumpkin pie mix which contains spices. Don’t use that! Use the pure canned pumpkin puree.
MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES!
- Pumpkin Bread: This is a must make every fall!
- Pumpkin Pancakes: Top with butter and real maple syrup.
- Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake: Cut the carbs with this sweet treat!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars: So decadent!
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake: My favorite fall dessert!
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake: This cake is extremely moist with the biggest streusel topping ever!
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 15 ounce package yellow cake mix
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
For the glaze:
- 3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and liberally butter and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan.
- Beat together the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until well combined, light, and somewhat fluffy.
- Add batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the bundt pan before turning onto a cake platter to finish cooling. Cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze:
- Add the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Warm the glaze until pourable.
- Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake.
- Allow glaze to set before cutting and serving.
HeatherK says
Soooo good. It was moist, full of flavor and everyone LOVED IT! I will be making this over and over for friends and family.
Karly says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks, Heather!
Chris says
Would this recipe work with a gluten free cake mix?
Karly says
I’ve only tried it as written, but I think it would work fine. 🙂
KatsInTheKitchen says
Looks DELISH, I’m wondering if a “Butter recipe” yellow cake mix would work with this
Karly says
Yep, should work great!
Easyfoodsmith says
I started cooking and baking with pumpkin after I started blogging. And there has been no looking back since then. You have tempted me into baking with pumpkin with your post. So delicious!