Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake – The absolute perfect centerpiece and hit dessert item for your holiday party this season!
Sometimes I think I’ve had a stroke of brilliance but then I find out I am not actually quite as brilliant as I thought. I told my mother I was making a cake. A pumpkin cake. No, a real pumpkin cake. A cake that actually looks like a pumpkin. But still tastes like cake. Pumpkin cake.
Genius right?
Well then my mother says to me, “oh that reminds me, did I show you that cake I found that I thought you should make??” No mother you did not. “Oh well let me show you!” she says.
Oh hey… that looks like the cake sitting in my kitchen right now…
I guess I’m not so genius. Or I am, but someone else was genius before me.
Maybe you have made a pumpkin cake that looks like a pumpkin before and you’re thinking right now, okay seriously, been there done that.
I’m sorry. Please forgive me for borrowing your genius.
Regardless of the fact that this cake is not wholly original and I’m sure you may find other like it on Pinterest, the point is that I made this cake and it was delicious and beautiful and now I’m going to share it with you.
And by the way, all of my non-Pinteresty party attendees were absolutely wowed by this cake. They truly thought it was genius. And my more Pinterest-savvy attendees still adored it, even if they did throw in a “oh how cute, I saw that on Pinterest!”.
Sometimes it isn’t about being the first ever to do something. Sometimes it’s just about doing it at all. Early or late, doesn’t matter. I made this cake and I loved it, and I’m pretty sure you will too!
What people are saying about this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
“This recipe was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The moistest cake I have ever had.” – Paula
“I made this for Thanksgiving this weekend and it was delicious! … I could have halved the icing recipe for my purposes. It was a BIG hit and everyone loved it….pretty straightforward to make and would definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing it!” – Lori
“Made this for my son’s birthday (as a single cake) but frosted with a butter cream frosting with Bailey’s caramel irish cream for an added kick. It was fabulous! This is a delicious moist cake. Thanks for the pin.” – Maribeth
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake**
- 1 box yellow cake mix - sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cup pumpkin - canned or fresh
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup sugar
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Icing
- 3 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 5-6 tablespoons milk
- red and yellow food coloring
- optional: real pumpkin stem
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a round bundt pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine cake mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar and whisk to mix well. Mix in eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.
- In another bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg until creamy. Mix in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour half of cake batter into prepared bundt pan.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Add cream cheese and sugar to a medium sized bowl. Cream together until combined. Add egg, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter in cake pan. Top with remaining cake batter. Bake 50-60 minutes or until inserted knife comes out mostly clean.
Icing
- Mix together powdered sugar and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring. Add red coloring 2-3 drops at a time until icing is the desired shade of orange.
- Warm icing in microwave (20-30 seconds) until pourable consistency is reached. Pour icing over cake. Allow to cool and set. Top with optional pumpkin stem. Slice and serve at room temperature.
What a hit this would be in my household!
Can I make the cake ahead of time and freeze or put in fridge
Yes! Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge up to a day ahead!
Looks great! Can you clarify for me why the instructions demand two cakes (sequentially) rather than doubling the recipe and baking in two pans? Seems like an unnecessary doubling of the time it takes to complete the cake. Any light you could shed on this would be appreciated. Cheers!
Hi Mimi, sometimes doubling recipes can affect the outcome negatively. If you do try it let me know how it goes, I can’t vouch for it myself as I’ve only made two cakes here, thanks!
HI! Do I put the cream cheese filling in both cakes?
Yep!
You have impressive thing on this website
Pumpkin cake, ??? Do I add the water and the oil on cake mix box?