Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

This pumpkin spice bundt cake is soft, light, and moist with warm fall spices and a creamy cream cheese frosting. Sour cream gives the cake its tender, springy crumb, while brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice add cozy flavor without using pumpkin puree.

Unlike a pumpkin cake, this spice bundt cake gets its flavor entirely from pumpkin pie spice. It's an easy fall dessert that looks impressive straight from the Bundt pan, especially once the thick cream cheese frosting drips down the sides.

There is something about a Bundt cake that always reminds me of old-fashioned family baking. It doesn't need layers or elaborate decorating to feel special, which makes this one especially nice for fall gatherings and holiday dessert tables. If you love warm fall desserts, try our apple cider cake or pumpkin cream cheese pie next.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Soft and Moist: Sour cream and brown sugar give the cake a light, tender crumb that stays soft into the next day.
• No Pumpkin Puree Needed: Pumpkin pie spice provides plenty of warm fall flavor without changing the cake's light texture.
• Easy but Impressive: The Bundt pan creates the decorative shape, and the pourable cream cheese frosting provides a simple finish.

How We Tested This Recipe

• Pan Size: We baked the cake in a 9½-inch Bundt pan with a 9½-cup maximum capacity. The batter filled it about halfway and released easily from the well-greased pan.
• Batter and Baking: The finished batter was thick but still fluid, similar to brownie batter. Our cake was perfectly baked in 37-40 minutes when the center was set and a toothpick came out clean.
• Cooling and Frosting: We let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it. We found the frosting drips farther down a warm cake, while it stays thicker and closer to the top on a completely cooled cake.
• Next-Day Test: On day one, the cake was light, moist, soft, and springy. After being covered overnight, it was still soft and springy on day two, although slightly less moist.

Ingredients

This spice bundt cake recipe uses basic baking ingredients plus pumpkin pie spice and sour cream for its signature warm flavor and tender texture. For another easy Bundt cake, our easy vanilla Bundt cake is a delicious option for holidays or everyday baking.

Cake Ingredients

• Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour provides structure, while baking soda and baking powder give the cake lift. Salt balances the sweetness.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Gives the cake its cinnamon-forward fall flavor without adding pumpkin puree.
• Butter and Brown Sugar: Softened butter creates richness, while brown sugar contributes sweetness, moisture, and deeper flavor.
• Eggs and Vanilla: Eggs provide structure and richness, while vanilla rounds out the warm spices.
• Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and tenderness without making the batter too thin.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

• Cream Cheese and Butter: Create a rich, creamy frosting with enough body to cling to the cake.
• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
• Vanilla and Milk: Vanilla adds flavor, while milk loosens the frosting to a pourable consistency.

You'll find the exact ingredient amounts and complete instructions in the recipe card below.

Variations

• Change the Spice: Replace the pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon for a simpler flavor, or add extra cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg for a more pronounced warm-spice flavor.
• Change the Dairy: Use plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream for a similarly moist, tender cake.
• Change the Frosting: Add maple syrup to the cream cheese frosting, use a simple vanilla glaze, or skip the frosting and dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
• Add Some Crunch: Fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter, or sprinkle toasted pecans over the frosting.
• Dress It Up: Finish individual slices with caramel sauce, whipped cream, or vanilla or butter pecan ice cream.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

This spiced bundt cake comes together in four cake steps followed by two simple frosting steps. Thoroughly greasing the Bundt pan and allowing the cake to cool for 15 minutes before inverting are the two most important steps for an easy release.

Step 1: Prepare the pan and dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease and flour a 9½-inch Bundt pan, making sure to coat all the grooves. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Step 2: Make the batter. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the sour cream or Greek yogurt. Mix just until combined. The batter will be thick but still fluid, similar to brownie batter.

Step 3: Bake the cake. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 37-40 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Step 4: Cool and release. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely before frosting.

Step 5: Make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. The frosting should be fluid enough to pour but thick enough to cling to the cake.

Step 6: Frost and serve. Pour the frosting over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. For thinner drips, frost the cake while it is slightly warm; for thicker frosting that stays mostly on top, let the cake cool completely. Slice and serve.

If cream cheese frosting is your favorite part, you'll also love our carrot cake sheet cake with its soft cake and creamy topping.

Storage Directions

Because the frosting contains cream cheese, store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator: Cover the cake well and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For the best texture, let individual slices sit at room temperature briefly before serving.

Freezer: We did not test this cake frozen, so I can't give you a firsthand comparison of freezing it frosted versus unfrosted.

Make Ahead: You can bake the cake a day before serving. In our testing, the covered cake remained soft, light, and springy the next day, although it was slightly less moist than on day one.

Serving Suggestions

• Coffee or Tea: The warm pumpkin pie spices make this cake a natural pairing with coffee, chai, or black tea.
• Hot Fall Drinks: Serve it with hot apple cider or hot chocolate for a cozy fall dessert. Pair a slice with our pumpkin chai latte or pumpkin spice frappuccino for an extra-cozy fall dessert.
• Ice Cream: Add a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream alongside each slice.
• Whipped Cream: A spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream makes a simple alternative to adding more frosting.
• Holiday Dessert Table: Add the cake to a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or fall dessert spread alongside pies, cookies, and other seasonal treats.

More Fall Cake Recipes

If you enjoy spice bundt cake recipes with warm, cozy flavors, try more of our fall cakes and seasonal desserts. This pumpkin spice bundt cake recipe is especially good for readers who love pumpkin spice flavor but want something different from traditional pumpkin cake. For more seasonal baking, try our pumpkin fluff or funfetti Bundt cake next.

If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!