It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a giant pumpkin cake! OK first off I know many of you won’t have time to go all out and make an almost real looking pumpkin, but that’s OK! Just make the cake and serve with the glaze of your choice, slather it in cream cheese frosting, or eat it plain!
I used a Nordicware Heritage 12 cup Bundt pan for this cake, CLICK HERE to buy one!
Pro Tips for The BEST Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- If you want to go for added realism then whip up two batches of buttercream in similar shades of orange. Cover your pumpkin in one batch and begin shaping it.
- Pop the cake into the fridge and let it chill to harden, then add highlights or lowlights (your choice) on the pumpkin’s ridges and smooth them out to blend.
- The best shaping tool I can recommend is the back of a spoon, a yogurt container you cut into half circles and rounded points. These pieces will flex and give you better control when shaping and smoothing the pumpkins.
- Dipping your spoon into HOT water will help you smooth the chilled cake for a nicer surface.
I have a couple of things to say about the stem.
- At first I tried to make one by covering an inverted cupcake in green buttercream and then sculpting. It looked OK but kind of cartoonish and out of proportion.
- I ended up mixing up a very thick batch of buttercream and rolling it into the desired shape then carved away at it, added some brown streaks and an off-white top. The result was significantly more realistic and easier to make.
- Your third option is to shape one from fondant, in which case you can totally go to town and make the most realistic but inedible pumpkin stem ever!.
So hear’s the secret to smoothing a crazy shape coated in buttercream. First make sure you chill the cake once it’s frosted. To smooth it I used the back of a spoon and a yogurt container that I cut into a half circle shape. (you can see this in my video at the bottom of the page. )
When you’re doing the final smoothing on your chilled cake get a cup of HOT water and dip your spoon in it regularly. This will allow it to glide over the surface and not gouge into the cake.
How Make a Pumpkin Bundt Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 2 large bundt pans and pop two cupcake liners into a cupcake tin. Sift the dry ingredients (except the sugar) together and give a good whisk to mix well.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for approximately 4 minutes on medium. Add the eggs one at a time making sure each is incorporated well before adding the next. Mix the buttermilk and sour cream in a large glass or bowl and set aside. Add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the milk mixture. Making sure you start and end with the flour mixture. Do not over-mix, just beat until combined. Scrape the bowl down when towards the end. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the pumpkin is well incorporated.
Pour batter into bundt pans but reserve a bit of batter for the two cupcakes. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to rest in pans for about 20 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool. The cupcakes will bake for about 18 minutes, so don’t forget to take them out!
3. Make the cream cheese and vanilla buttercreams. If you’re not a fan of food coloring try making a white pumpkin!
4. Once the cakes are completely cool trim the bottoms off so you can sandwich them together neatly. These trimmings are great for snacking or you can make cake pops.
5. Pipe or smear cream cheese frosting onto bottom of one of the cakes. Sandwich together and place a cupcake into the hole on top.
8.) Depending on the shape bundt pan you use, you may need to contour the outside using a knife to sculpt into a pumpkin shape.
7. Use the back of a spoon to start smoothing out the pumpkin. A spoon will be great for the indentations and top.
8. For the convex parts of the pumpkin you’ll want a special tool. I like to cut a rounded piece from a yogurt or sour cream container and use that as a smoothing tool. Give the cake a general smooth then Refrigerate to help the sculpting process. Otherwise the pumpkin will be too gooey and unmanageable.
9. Continue smoothing buttercream. You can add more frosting if desired. Sometimes I’ll add a slightly lighter color to accentuate the highlights and create dimension. For the final smoothing chill the pumpkin and use the back of a spoon dipped in hot water.
10. For the Stem: Mix together butter and sugar until you get a consistency that is similar to clay. Mix in green food coloring. Sculpt into a stem figure. Use a piping bag with brown food coloring to create a natural look. Add stem to the top of the pumpkin.
If You Liked This Recipe Try These Out
If you’ve tried this pumpkin cake recipe out then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Video
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups pumpkin puree
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 8 tsp baking powder
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 cups dark brown sugar packed
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 cup sour cream
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Buttercream
- 2 lb confectioner's sugar
- 2 cup salted butter room temp
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 20 drops orange food coloring Depends on brand used and desired color.
For the Stem:
- 4 tablespoons un salted butter room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 5 drops food coloring Green and brown
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour 2 large bundt pans.
- Mix the buttermilk and sour cream in a bowl and set aside.
- Sift the dry ingredients (except the sugar) together and give a good whisk to mix well.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for approximately 4 minutes on medium.
- Add the eggs one at a time making sure each is incorporated well before adding the next.
- Add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the milk mixture. Making sure you start and end with the flour mixture. Do not over-mix, just beat until combined.
- Mix in the pumpkin puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the pumpkin is well incorporated.
- Pour batter into bundt pans. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to rest in pans for about 20 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until it is smooth. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until ingredients are well-incorporated and desired consistency is reached.
For the Buttercream:
- Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then slowly add sugar. Add milk a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached. If want a stiffer buttercream, use less milk. Add in the food coloring.
For the Assembly:
- Cut bottoms off cakes.
- Pipe or smear cream cheese frosting onto bottoms. Sandwich together.
- Depending on the shape bundt pan you use, you may need to contour the outside using a knife to sculpt into a pumpkin shape.
- Cover in orange buttercream. Refrigerate to help the sculpting process.
- Using a knife, smooth into ridges. Add a second layer of dark buttercream to create dimension.
- Smooth the buttercream. I cut a yogurt cup into a half circle-shaped tool. It's flexible and doesn't gouge the buttercream.
- For the final smoothing chill the pumpkin in the freezer and use the back of a spoon dipped in hot water.
For the Stem:
- Mix together butter and sugar until you get a consistency that is similar to clay. Mix in green food coloring. Sculpt into a stem figure. Use a piping bag with brown food coloring to create a natural look.
- Add stem to the top of the pumpkin.
Notes
- If you want to go for added realism then whip up two batches of buttercream in similar shades of orange. Cover your pumpkin in one batch and begin shaping it.
- Pop it into the fridge and let it chill to harden, then add highlights or lowlights (your choice) on the pumpkin's ridges and smooth them out to blend. I have a couple of things to say about the stem.
- At first I tried to make one by covering an inverted cupcake in green buttercream and then sculpting. It looked OK but kind of cartoonish and out of proportion. I ended up mixing up a very thick batch of buttercream and rolling it into the desired shape then carved away at it, added some brown streaks and an off-white top the result was significantly more realistic and easier to make. Your third option is to shape one from fondant.
Chele says
Instead of using 2 10-12 cup full size bundt pans. I want to make 2 6-cup size bundt cakes so that the final cake is the equivalent of one cakes worth of batter instead of 2 cakes
Would halving the recipe work to accomplish this?
jkanell says
Yes, it should.
Kary says
Fantastic recipe and explanation of how to assemble! Can’t wait to make your Christmas tree cake!
Susannah Hunter says
Made this cake for my cousin’s Lil Pumpkin baby shower, and it was a big hit. Looked great and tastes delicious! People thought it was a real pumpkin! One note: The batter made *way* too much for my bundt pan, but the plus side was that I had enough extra for cupcakes that I used for the middle plus cake pops.
John K. says
Hey Susannah,
What a great idea, that sounds perfect! I’m glad it worked out; extra cupcakes never hurt anyone!! 😉
Best,
John
Stroke says
Wow! It’s amazing! I’ve never seen such eatable things before!!
John K. says
Hi Stroke,
Thank you! Did you make this pumpkin bundt cake?? If so, how did you like it? 🙂
Best,
John
Theresa Stanton says
I’m making this for Thanksgiving! Must be meant to be because you published this on my birthday. Wish me luck!
Allison says
Hi John, I made this cake for a Halloween party and it not only tasted amazing but was a show stopper! But I have to say, I almost threw in the towel with this one. First, my icing developed tons of air bubbles from over mixing to achieve the correct orange color. It looked like…..well pretty disgusting. So I had to take globs at a time and manually smooth and push out the air bubbles on a silipat. Then I had a lot of difficulty smoothing the icing even using the cut yogurt container method as you suggested. But finally I found the trick. I used my finger dipped in warm water like you did with your mini pumpkins and gently smoothed out the icing. Using that technique worked and suddenly my hard work paid off! I used a real pumpkin stem to make it even more realistic. People could not believe it was a cake. I posted a picture on Instagram a few weeks ago and tagged you in it so you could see it. Thank you thank you for sharing your creativity and inspiring me! Keep on baking!
John K. says
Hey Allison,
I’m so glad all your hard work paid off and your pumpkin bundt cake turned out great!! It’s perfect for a halloween party! Well done!!
Best,
John
Miriam says
Dear John- made this cake for our Halloween party and I filled the insides with Gummi worms and icing which spilled out when you cut it- not very preppy but a hit especially with the kids. Thank you so much for this delicious and awesome looking cake! All the best from Germany!
Miriam
Ps. I used Swiss buttercream instead of American and it was SO good!
John K. says
Hello Mariam,
I think that is such a fun idea! Well done!! Happy everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Best,
John
Mary says
This Pumpkin Cake was a hit at my family’s Annual Pumpkin Party last weekend! While mine was not nearly as beautiful as yours John, your instructions were so clear and concise, I felt confident regardless! I also used a real pumpkin stem and it made the cake look even more realistic 🙂 Definitely will be adding this delicious cake to my annual fall-themed baking!
Thank you for an amazingly awesome blog and beyond wonderful recipes!
John K. says
Hi Mary,
I’m so glad to hear this pumpkin cake made an appearance at your family’s pumpkin party!! It’s nice to know you enjoy Preppy Kitchen!
Best,
John
Jessica says
I made this cake for a Halloween party. All my guests absolutely loved it! They were raving about how delicious the cake and buttercream were, and they absolutely loved how realistic it looked.
I didn’t have the patience to make a stem though, so I ended up cutting off a small piece of the stem from my pumpkin I bought for carving (like you did for your mini pumpkin cakes).
100% would make this recipe again!
John K. says
Hi Jessica,
I love this pumpkin bundt cake! I’m glad you made it and everyone loved it too! Good thinking on using a real stem. I bet it looked more realistic! Thank you for your feedback!!
Best,
John
Kyli Anne says
Hi John! I LOVE your blog! Your creativity and polished pieces inspire me on a regular basis <3 I'm just getting my home-bakery business and blog started. I don't usually enjoy trying to make my cakes look like characters or items, but I love pumpkins and I had to give this a try! Your step-by-step photos were really helpful. I did have to use a different cake recipe (due to me being at high-altitude), but credited you and your blog with the original idea. You can see my "Pumpkin" cake here. I tried to offer my own step-by-step process to my blog readers. Here's my attempt at your beautiful cake idea! https://www.tipsylemonbakes.com/2018/10/pumpkin-spice-cake.html
John K. says
Hi Kyli Anne,
Thank you, that is so nice to hear! Your pumpkin turned out great! I love the colors!!
Best,
John