This pumpkin bundt cake is easy (one bowl recipe!), deliciously soft, and so moist. With the warm vanilla sauce, it is heavenly!

There are two main reasons to love this cake:

  1. All cakes just taste yummier baked in a bundt pan 😉
  2. Warm vanilla cinnamon sauce (spoiler alert: it’s ridiculously amazing drizzled on this cake).
Bite of orange pumpkin cake on fork on white plate.

Bundt Cake Batter

Don’t let “bundt” and “cake” intimidate you! The batter for this pumpkin cake is easy, easy. It’s a one-bowl recipe!

ALL the ingredients, minus the flour, get whisked together:

  • canned pumpkin
  • sugar (granulated and brown)
  • eggs
  • oil
  • baking powder + baking soda + salt
  • cinnamon + nutmeg + cloves

Once the flour is added, it’s just a few goods stirs away (don’t overdo it!) from meeting the bundt pan.

Bowl with eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices; mixing pumpkin cake; unbaked and baked pumpkin cake in bundt pan.

What Size Bundt Pan to Use

Bundt pans and their weird finicky dimensions can be a bit confusing.

Here are a few tips that might help:

  • the most common type of bundt pan is a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan (all of my bundt recipes use this size of pan)
  • these pans may also be labeled as 12-cup bundt pans
  • if a bundt pan is labeled “12-cup bundt pan” that means 12 cups of batter/liquid will fill it to the very brim: YOU DO NOT WANT TO BAKE 12 CUPS OF BATTER IN A 12-CUP BUNDT PAN OR IT WILL OVERFLOW
  • fill bundt pans no more than 2/3 to 3/4 full

I’ve found that almost every bundt recipe I’ve ever made (from internet searches, my grandma’s cookbook, and others) work in a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan like this one {aff. link}.

Slice of pumpkin bundt cake on server on white platter.

Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Sauce

One of the reasons this pumpkin bundt cake is so special is because of the vanilla cinnamon sauce.

Served warm and drizzled over the soft, moist cake, it elevates this pumpkin bundt cake to dessert heights worthy of holidays and entertaining (but simple enough to make any day of the week!).

If you’re wondering about the merits of serving cake with a warm velvety sauce, look no further than these testimonials:

Small ladle spooning vanilla sauce over slice of pumpkin bundt cake on white plate.

Or…Skip the Sauce

The pumpkin bundt cake + the sauce has kind of a sticky toffee pudding vibe. Which means, I LOVE IT.

However, if you are on the hunt for a really dazzling pumpkin bundt cake all by itself, you can skip the sauce!

This pumpkin cake is really delicious with or without the sauce.

You could even dust the top of the pumpkin bundt cake with powdered sugar. Or whip up a bit of lightly sweetened cinnamon whipped cream to serve with cake slices?

With a cake this delicious, you can’t go wrong!

Bite of sauce-drenched cake on fork on white plate.

One Year Ago: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup 
Two Years Ago: Perfect Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 
Three Years Ago: Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Four Years Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Streusel Cake 
Five Years Ago: Instant Pot Cheesy Potato Soup
Six Years Ago:  Step-by-Step Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread {My New Fave}
Seven Years Ago: 15-Minute Homemade Root Beer 
Eight Years Ago: Creamy Glazed Fruit Salad
Nine Years Ago: Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ten Years Ago: Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Bars 

Bite of orange pumpkin cake being scooped out of big slice with fork on white plate.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Sauce

4.99 stars (92 ratings)

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can (425 g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 ¾ cups (370 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (170 g) vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour

Sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, cut into chunks
  • ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (173 g) heavy cream or evaporated milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (If your pan has a dark finish/coating, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.)
  • Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with butter or shortening, lightly dust with flour, and tap out excess flour. Set aside. (If your pan is nonstick, you may not need the flour and can just grease the pan.)
  • For the cake, in a large bowl, add the pumpkin, granulated sugar, oil, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Whisk until really well-combined.
  • Add the flour and mix just until the dry streaks disappear. Try not to over mix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake for 55-65 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch.
  • Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Invert onto a serving platter.
  • For the sauce, in a medium saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often, and cook for 5-6 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla and cinnamon.
  • Serve the pumpkin cake cut into slices with warm sauce drizzled over the top.

Notes

Make-Ahead: the sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week (possibly longer). Warm before serving. The cake can be made a day ahead of time and kept well-covered over night. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature.
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 507kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 297mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 48g