Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling – a delicious bundt cake that tastes like pumpkin pie, with a lovely cream cheese filling then drizzled with an incredible cream cheese icing!
To make things a little more intriguing, I decided to switch up the tried and true bundt, stuff it full of molten delight and make it uber rich. I was invited to my sister’s place recently and was explicitly told not to bring any food. But being who I am, I couldn’t go empty handed, so I told her I’d bring dessert. And that is how this little bundt was born.
So YES, another bundt cake. A pumpkin bundt cake with a yummy cream cheese filling, then drizzled with a smooth cream cheese icing and finally topped with pecans. If that doesn’t scream Thanksgiving, well then I don’t know what does.
While looking at the recipe you may think it looks a bit complicated it really isn’t. Trust me when I say the hardest part will be cleaning the mixer bowl 3 times.
Ingredients
Cake
- Flour – All purpose flour works just fine for this recipe.
- Leavening agents – Both baking powder and baking soda.
- Salt – Salt is so important in any and all baked goods.
- Butter – Unsalted as we want to control the sodium in our dessert.
- Sugar – Brown sugar, packed. This will provide some notes of molasses and depth of flavor.
- Milk – We’re using buttermilk today to lend brightness and tenderness to our cake.
- Eggs – We’re using 3 eggs today, quite a bit I know but believe me you’ll want them.
- Pumpkin – Pick up a can of pumpkin – it’s available in the canned aisle year round!
- Spice – Pumpkin pie spice to really tie together that pumpkin pie flavor.
Filling
- Cream cheese – Softened at room temperature.
- Sugar – Powder sugar is necessary to ensure a completely smooth filling that’s still nice and sweet.
- Spice – Just a bit of cinnamon will highlight the pumpkin spice notes in our cake.
- Egg – Just one egg to bind this filling together as it bakes.
- Vanilla – Plain ole’ vanilla extract is fine.
- Salt – Everything needs seasoning – including this icing!
Icing
- Cream cheese – Softened at room temperature.
- Milk – Just a bit, regular or any fat percentage you’d like will work just fine.
- Powdered sugar – This is the sugar to use for these types of fillings or icings.
- Vanilla extract – Again needed for that well rounded flavor.
- Salt – Don’t forget the salt! every layer needs seasoning.
What Kind Of Cream Cheese Is Best For Icing?
I prefer using Philadelphia cream cheese because it always makes a super silky filling. However, if you can’t find the Philadelphia brand, use a cream cheese that is full fat for best results.
How To Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Cake batter
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and grease a bundt pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Create the filling: Start by making the cream cheese filling. Add all the cream cheese filling ingredients the bowl of your mixer and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Set this mixture aside. Clean the mixer bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients: Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of your mixer and mix for 2 minutes on medium high. Add the eggs and continue mixing for another 2 or 3 minutes until mixture lightens up.
- Combine the dry ingredients: While that’s mixing, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice to a bowl and stir it all together. Set aside.
- Form the batter: Add the buttermilk and pumpkin puree to the mixer and mix until well incorporated, another minute. Add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix for one more minute until all the flour has been incorporated into the mixture.
- Assemble the cake: Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly all around. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin cake batter and spread this around the bundt pan. Pour the remaining cake batter over the cream cheese filling and spread as evenly as you can.
- Bake for about 55 minutes or until cake is done. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Icing
- Combine the icing: While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese icing. Add all the ingredients for the icing to the bowl of your mixer and mix for about 3 minutes or until smooth. Add more milk as necessary, for a thicker icing use less milk, for an icing that is easier to drizzle, add a bit more milk.
- Cool the cake: Take the cake out of the oven and let it sit in the bundt pan for about 5 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of the cake if necessary, then flip the cake over onto a cake tray. Let the cake cool a bit for about 10 to 20 minutes.
- Finish the cake: Drizzle with the cream cheese icing and top with chopped pecans if preferred.
How To Tell When Your Cake Is Done Baking
Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake, be careful though not to hit our filling! If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake done baking. If there is any batter sticking to the toothpick, bake for 5-10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean. Use a new toothpick for each test.
What Can I Top My Cake With?
- Chopped nuts like pecans, almonds, or walnuts
- Chocolate that’s been shaved or chopped
- Toffee pieces
- Cinnamon
- Whipped cream
Want To Use Fresh Pumpkin?
Well then you’re ambitious I’ll give you that, but it’s totally possible to use fresh pumpkin and to achieve that 100% homemade flavor.
- First halve the pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds.
- Heat an inch of water in a sauce pan till boiling, in the mean time slice the pumpkin into chunks. Boil these pieces of pumpkin briefly before reducing the heat, covering and allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Drain and cool before removing the pumpkin from the peel. Mash it all up and you’re good to go!
Storing Leftovers
As our filling and icing contain dairy, we want to refrigerate this treat. This method will allow the cake to last 3 – 4 days. If you’d prefer to freeze it be sure to wrap the cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 3 months, with the icing stored separately. To thaw the cake you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil for 3 hours as it thaws on the counter.
More Must Try Pumpkin Recipes:
- Pumpkin Delight
- Best Ever Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Magic Cake
- Healthy Whole Wheat And Oats Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread
- The Best Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pie
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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Bundt Cake
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup pumpkin canned
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp milk plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and grease a bundt pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Start by making the cream cheese filling. Add all the cream cheese filling ingredients the bowl of your mixer and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Set this mixture aside. Clean the mixer bowl.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of your mixer and mix for 2 minutes on medium high. Add the eggs and continue mixing for another 2 or 3 minutes until mixture lightens up.
- While that’s mixing, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice to a bowl and stir it all together. Set aside.
- Add the buttermilk and pumpkin puree to the mixer and mix until well incorporated, another minute.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix for one more minute until all the flour has been incorporated into the mixture.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly all around. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin cake batter and spread this around the bundt pan. Pour the remaining cake batter over the cream cheese filling and spread as evenly as you can.
- Bake for about 55 minutes or until cake is done. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese icing. Add all the ingredients for the icing to the bowl of your mixer and mix for about 3 minutes or until smooth. Add more milk as necessary, for a thicker icing use less milk, for an icing that is easier to drizzle, add a bit more milk.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it sit in the bundt pan for about 5 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of the cake if necessary, then flip the cake over onto a cake tray. Let the cake cool a bit for about 10 to 20 minutes.
- Drizzle with the cream cheese icing and top with chopped pecans if preferred.
Recipe Notes
- As our filling and icing contain dairy, we want to refrigerate this treat. This method will allow the cake to last 3 – 4 days.
- If you’d prefer to freeze it be sure to wrap the cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 3 months, with the icing stored separately. To thaw the cake you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil for 3 hours as it thaws on the counter.
