Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake combines a moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin cake with cream cheese filling and a thick maple-rum glaze. This is truly the perfect fall dessert!

If you’ve ever had a pumpkin cream cheese muffin from Starbucks, this recipe embodies all those flavors! I love the combination of spiced cake and cream cheese. All the warm spices are perfect for fall!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Everyone needs an easy dessert to bust out when company comes calling and this pumpkin cream cheese bundt cake is that dessert. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a hand mixer and a mixing bowl.

Pumpkin desserts and pumpkin spice are one of the things I look forward to when fall comes around. As much as I love a slice of perfect pumpkin bread, there’s something so special about this cake.

It’s visually gorgeous and the taste is even more spectacular. If you still need a show-stopping Thanksgiving dessert that’s not pie, this cake is perfect.

Pumpkin cream cheese bundt cake also makes a special holiday morning breakfast! A slice of pumpkin cake is so good with a hot cup of coffee.

Need more turkey day inspiration? Browse my Thanksgiving recipe collection.

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

You’re going to be blown away by how easy it is to make this cake! Invest in a quality bundt pan for best results.

Tools Needed

• 12 Cup Bundt Pan
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Hand Mixer

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pumpkin puree. I always use Libby’s brand pumpkin puree for the flavor and texture. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices.
• Sugar. We use both brown and white sugar in the cake and white sugar in the cream cheese filling.
• Flour. All-purpose flour is best here.
• Leaveners. You’ll need baking powder and baking soda for this recipe.
• Spices. Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger add the warm spice flavor that makes this pumpkin cream cheese bundt cake so special.
• Eggs. Make sure your eggs are room temperature so they mix more easily.
• Cream cheese. Full-fat brick cream cheese is the play here. Don’t use low fat or tub cream cheese.
• Oil. You’ll want to use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil.
• Butter. Melted butter adds great flavor.
• Powdered sugar. You’ll need powdered sugar to make the glaze.
• Pure maple syrup. Go for the good stuff here! If you can find the bourbon barrel aged maple syrup from Trader Joe’s, I am OBSESSED.

The Process

1. Prepare the pan. Grease the pan really well with melted butter and dust with flour. This is really the key to making sure your cake doesn’t stick to the pan.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger until well-mixed.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, sugars, oil, and melted butter until very smooth.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until well-mixed and no streaks of flour remain. Set aside.
5. Mix the cream cheese filling. Using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
6. Layer, then bake. Pour half of the pumpkin cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spread the cream cheese layer evenly over the batter, then pour the rest of the pumpkin cake batter on top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 1 hour before inverting onto a plate. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour.
7. Make the glaze. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and very thick, but still drizzle-able. Pour the glaze onto the cake and let it set for 20 minutes before serving.

Tips for Making Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Use room temperature ingredients. When at room temperature, eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients form an emulsion which traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. Fluffy baked goods = tender crumbs and a much better texture. Cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily.

Don’t overmix the batter. Instead of using the hand mixer to mix the dry ingredients into the wet, use a rubber spatula and fold the ingredients together by hand. This ensures that you have a tender cake that’s never tough or dense.

Grease and flour your bundt cake really well. There’s nothing worse than having your cake stick to your bundt pan! To avoid that, use a high-quality nonstick bundt pan. I also spray my bundt pan liberally with nonstick spray or brush with melted butter and then dust the pan with flour. This ensures that the cake releases from the pan perfectly every time.

Cool the cake before removing it from the pan. Let the cake cool for an hour in the bundt pan before releasing it. The cake will still be warm, but this gives the cake some time to solidify so that pieces of it don’t end up sticking to the pan.

Storage Instructions

Whenever I make this pumpkin cream cheese bundt cake, I love having leftovers to eat through the week! It’s perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee in the morning, or as an easy dessert.

To store, you can wrap the cake in parchment and plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for 3 days.

To freeze, wrap before slicing in plastic wrap really well and transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. This helps prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and then microwave for 20 seconds before serving.

Make Ahead Instructions

If you plan on making pumpkin cream cheese bundt cake for the holidays, it’s easy to prep in advance! With tons of other stuff going on, getting dessert prepped and stored a couple of days in advance is always best.

To make this cake in advance, follow the instructions on baking. Once the cake is cool and out of the pan, wrap it well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Then, just glaze the cake about 30 minutes before serving.

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake is the perfect show-stopping holiday dessert! It combines perfectly moist spiced pumpkin cake with a layer of cheesecake filling. If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Cake Recipes to Try

Apple Cider Donut Cake
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaf
Cranberry Ricotta Cake
Almond Ricotta Cake
Apple Crumb Cake

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