Pumpkin Bundt Cake – Grandma’s Recipe

This Pumpkin Bundt Cake is irresistibly spiced, made super moist with applesauce and loaded with toasted pecans. An addictive fall treat you’ll crave all year round!

This deliciously dense spiced pumpkin cake delivers BIG on flavor and seasonal goodness. It’s a total showstopper for your table and is quite simple to make. This cake needs just 2 bowls, one bundt pan and easy pantry ingredients.

Don’t like nuts, them leave them out and make the cake plain, or substitute raisins, dried cranberries or yummy chocolate chips.

We’ve cut down on the fat and calories by substituting unsweetened applesauce for part of the oil usually called for in pumpkin cakes. The flavor is amazing, it’s just as moist and the cake seems fluffier. Not to mention applesauce is much healthier than vegetable oil!

If you love using pumpkin in in your desserts, we’ve also made creamy Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Walnut Bread Pudding, and Pumpkin Slab Pie.

How To Make A Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

This cake is super easy to make. Just mix the wet and dry ingredients, pour into the pan and wait for the cake to bake. You can get fancy and make the delicious toffee glaze (you don’t want to miss it) or serve it plain.

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350F/177C. Liberally grease and flour your bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the white and brown sugars, oil and applesauce together until completely combined*. Add the vanilla and pumpkin and beat again until fully mixed and smooth. Next, whisk in the eggs one at a time, beating after each until completely mixed in to the batter.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir the dry ingredients until the spices are completely mixed into the flour.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until all the dry ingredients are mixed in and the batter is smooth. Gently stir the pecans into the batter.
5. Transfer the batter to the bundt pan, using a spoon to distribute the batter around the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour, then invert the pan and cool the cake on the wire rack or serving dish. Let the cake cool completely before you top it with glaze or frosting.

*You can use a stand mixer, electric hand mixer or beat the batter by hand.

Ingredients To Make Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• Flour – regular all-purpose flour – nothing fancy!
• Sugar – white granulated sugar.
• Brown Sugar – packed light or dark brown sugar.
• Vegetable Oil – for moistness of the cake.
• Applesauce – adds moisture and flavor to the cake, and reduces the amount of oil needed. It’s healthy too!
• Vanilla Extract – a favorite flavor for baking!
• Pumpkin Puree – this is 100% packed pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Eggs – we always use large eggs to make our recipe.
• Baking Powder – leavening agent to help the cake rise.
• Baking Soda – leavening agent to help the cake rise.
• Spices* – cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice – for distinctive fall flavor.
• Toasted Pecans – optional

*Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice can be substituted for the spice. Use 1 tablespoon of the mix in place of the spices.

Ingredients for Toffee Glaze

• Butter – we use unsalted butter for all our recipes. It let’s the cook control the amount of salt.
• Brown Sugar – light or dark brown sugar are both fine.
• Heavy Cream – adds creaminess and thickens the toffee glaze.
• Vanilla Extract – adds flavor.
• Salt – counters the sweetness of the sauce.

Why Use Both Baking Soda and Baking Powder?

Here are the basics – baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents used in baking. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients, for example the applesauce and brown sugar in this cake, causing the batter to bubble up and rise. But it can only go so far, so we also used baking powder.

Baking powder is a combination of baking soda and a powdered acid. It reacts with water, or liquids for it’s leavening or rising ability.

The key is to use enough of the baking soda and/or baking powder for the cake to rise and brown nicely, but not use so much that you have a metallic or soapy aftertaste. It can take some trial and error to get it just right.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cake?

Yes, you can freeze this cake for later! Yes, following a few steps will insure that your pumpkin cake is fresh tasting and ready whenever you’re ready to serve.

1. Bake the cake according to the recipe instructions and allow to cool completely.
2. Place the cake on a foil wrapped board, or in the pan if you can do without it, for stability.
3. Wrap the cake (and board) tightly in plastic wrap. Wrap again in a layer of foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
4. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Leave the foil and plastic on the cake while thawing. That way, any condensation that forms during thawing will stay on the wrapping and not on the cake. The cake can be thawed, still wrapped, on the counter for a few hours if you forget to take it out the night before. It’s just better to thaw it in the refrigerator.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Easy Brandy Pumpkin Pie
• Make Ahead Pumpkin Pie (Freezer Recipe)