This tender pumpkin spice cake recipe takes a fluffy pumpkin bundt 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.
In the fall, bake all the pumpkin things. At least, that's my motto! This deeply spiced, delicately moist, cozy pumpkin spice cake recipe ticks all of my autumnal baking boxes. There's plenty of pumpkin, caramelly brown sugar, and best of all? A homemade cinnamon-cocoa streusel that's swirled through the middle of the cake.
This pretty cake plays up the made-for-each-other pairing of chocolate and pumpkin. A bit richer than a classic pumpkin bread loaf yet wholly unfussy, you'll love baking this beauty all throughout the autumn months. For a gluten free take, make my gluten free pumpkin bundt cake or gluten free pumpkin donut cake.
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Why You'll Love This 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.
Ingredients Needed
Check out what goes into this cake below. I've included the ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works fine.
- Cocoa powder - Unsweetened cocoa powder is best for the streusel swirl.
- Cinnamon
- Flour - I love whole grain flour here, like spelt flour or whole grain pastry flour. You can also use 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
- Butter - You'll use unsalted 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
Variations
- Make it gluten-free - You can substitute your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour.
- Skip the streusel - For a simpler pumpkin cake, skip the streusel and add the batter all at once to the pan.
- Nuts - Candied or regular chopped walnuts or pecans are amazing in this cake!
Want to make a gluten free version of pumpkin cake with maple glaze? Try the gluten free pumpkin bundt cake on my other site!
Instructions
Here's a look at how you'll make this cake, with the more detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
1. Make streusel: Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
2. Make the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients except for the sugar. In another bowl cream the butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
3. Add pumpkin: Beat in the eggs and the pumpkin puree.
4. Combine: Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
5. Add batter to pan: Grease a bundt pan. Add half the batter to the pan.
6. Add streusel layer: Sprinkle the prepared streusel over the top.
7. Finish: Top with the remaining cake batter.
8. Bake: Place the cake in a 350℉ oven and bake for about 1 hour. Cool in the pan, then turn out gently to cool completely.
Baking Tip
I recommend using pure pumpkin puree in this cake because it's not already spiced. But! If you wish to use pumpkin pie filling, go right ahead. For a deeply spiced cake, leave in the additional spices the recipe calls for. If you wish for a mildly spiced pumpkin cake, similar to a pumpkin pie, omit the added spices and use the pumpkin pie filling for flavor.
Recipe Notes
- 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!
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.
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cinnamon streusel
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake
- 3 cups all-purpose 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 unsalted butter
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree , or 2 cups pureed pumpkin
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, cream the butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in the pumpkin until very smooth and well combined.
- Mix 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.
Notes
- 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!
Nanda says
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!
Nanda says
Everyone loved it at my Thanksgiving lunch! I think your bundt pan must be smaller than mine, though, since my cake was much shorter. Mine is this Nordicware 12-Cup one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JHTCKU/ref=psdc_3736951_t1_B00004RFQ4