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This tender Pumpkin Pound Cake is an easy fall treat to bake from scratch. Perfect to serve as a snack with a cup of coffee, or as a dessert to share with friends and family.
Pound cakes are always a winner with that velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture and light sweetness. This one is a favorite for the fall months as the pumpkin spice flavor profile is comforting and delicious. You can either serve it plain as a snacking-style cake, or make it a bit fancier with my simple almond butter and maple glaze which adds some shine and a bit more richness.
If you’re a fan of baking with pumpkin, you should try my Pumpkin Swirl Brownies and Pumpkin Banana Bread.
Recipe Overview
Before You Get Started
- While you can buy pumpkin pie spice mix from the store, you can also make a DIY blend at home by combining 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice.
- I like to use canned pumpkin puree (containing only 100% pumpkin) as it produces consistent results in baking. Make sure you don’t accidentally use canned pumpkin pie mix.
- For bundt cakes, I like to let the baked cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. This short resting period lets the cake’s structure firm up a bit so that it isn’t so fragile and won’t crack when you flip it out. On the other hand, don’t leave the cake in the pan until it has fully cooled before turning out as this can make it stick to the pan.
- Let the cake cool fully before glazing. If you glaze the cake while it’s hot, the glaze may melt and run off the cake.
- If you’re not a fan of nut butter, try my cream cheese frosting recipe on this cake instead.
Common Questions
This cake will last for 3-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge to help it stay moist for longer.
Yes, this cake freezes well if it is unglazed. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before eating.
Yes. You can always replace coconut oil in baking with melted butter. It will come out moist and flavorful.
Ingredients Needed
Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make Pumpkin Pound Cake. Full quantities can be found in the recipe card further down in the post.
Pound Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: For a nice, tender crumb to your pound cake, all-purpose flour is the way to go. If you’d like some added fiber in the cake, swap half of the flour for whole wheat pastry flour.
- Pumpkin spice mix: You can buy this spice blend premixed from the grocery store for an easy way to get that cozy fall flavour into this cake.
- Baking soda, Vanilla extract, and Salt
- Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil makes the cake tender and moist while keeping it dairy-free. If you don’t need it to be dairy-free, you can swap in melted butter.
- Eggs: These help to bind the cake batter and, by whisking them with the sugar, also make the cake light and fluffy.
- Granulated sugar: I like to use white granulated sugar or cane sugar here so the flavor of the pumpkin comes through. However, you could use light brown or coconut sugar instead.
- Pumpkin puree: I find it’s best to use canned pumpkin puree for consistent results. Make sure you use a brand that contains only 100% pumpkin.
Optional Glaze Ingredients
- Almond butter: The creamy texture of almond butter works great as a base for the simple glaze. You could also use cashew, pecan, or walnut butter if you have those.
- Maple syrup: You only need a small amount of maple syrup in the glaze to make it glossy and slightly sweet. Runny honey also works well.
- Hot water: This thins out the glaze to make it drizzle table so you can easily spread it over the cake.
- Sprinkles or chopped nuts: An optional extra to sprinkle on the cake to make it a bit more special.
How to Make Pumpkin Pound Cake
Firstly, preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 12-cup bundt pan with coconut oil spray.
1️⃣ Combine dry ingredients
Stir together the flour, pumpkin spice mix, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
✏️ If your flour is lumpy, you can sift the dry ingredients together with a mesh strainer, or use a whisk to help stir everything together and break up any lumps.
2️⃣ Whisk wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut oil with electric beaters. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until pale and creamy, around 60 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk for 10-15 seconds more to incorporate.
✏️ Using an electric whisk helps to dissolve the sugar in the eggs, creating a light texture that helps the cake rise.
3️⃣ Fold together
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together with a spatula until no floury streaks remain.
✏️ You only need to stir until just combined – if you overmix the batter, it can result in a dense or gummy texture in the finished cake.
4️⃣ Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
✏️ I find it’s a good idea to let the cake sit in the bundt pan for 10 minutes after it’s baked so it can firm up a bit before turning it out, which prevents it from cracking when you do this.
5️⃣ Optional: decorate
If making the glaze, stir together the almond butter, maple syrup, and hot water in a jug until smooth. Pour over the cake and decorate with sprinkles or chopped nuts, if using.
✏️ To make things easy, use a whisk or a fork to mix the glaze ingredients.
6️⃣ Serve
Slice the cake, serve, and enjoy!
✏️ It’s best to let the cake cool fully before slicing to prevent the crumb from getting squashed as you slice into it.
Variations & Substitutions
→ Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Pound Cake: Whisk together 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until fluffy. Spread onto the cooled cake.
→ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pound Cake: Fold 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter in step 5.
→ Sweet Potato Pound Cake: Swap the pumpkin puree for an equal quantity of mashed sweet potato.
Pumpkin Pound Cake (Moist & Flavorful)
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
- 1 cup melted coconut oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree, one can
Optional glaze:
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons hot filtered water
- sprinkles, chopped walnuts or pecans, etc, optional, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F and spray a 12-cup bundt pan well with coconut oil spray. (I like to use a silicone one because it doesn't stick like the aluminum ones.)
- Combine the 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix, 2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk the 1 cup melted coconut oil with the 4 large eggs using an electric mixer.
- Add the 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and whisk for 60 seconds, until creamy and sugar is dissolved. Use a spatula to scrape the sides. Add the 15 ounces pumpkin puree and whisk for 10-15 seconds more, until incorporated.
- Using a spatula, incorporate dry ingredients into wet, until no visible streaks of flour.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
- To make the optional glaze and decorate:
- Place 2 tablespoons almond butter, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1-2 tablespoons hot filtered water of in a jug and whisk until smooth. Once the cake cools, drizzle the glaze over the top. Decorate with sprinkles, chopped walnuts or pecans, etc
Notes
Tips:
- While you can buy pumpkin pie spice mix from the store, you can also make a DIY blend at home by combining 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice.
For a fiber boost, replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. - When folding the wet and dry ingredients together, only mix until no floury streaks remain. If you overmix the batter, the cake can turn out gummy.
I like to use canned pumpkin puree (containing only 100% pumpkin) as it produces consistent results in baking. Make sure you don’t accidentally use canned pumpkin pie mix. - For bundt cakes, I like to let the baked cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. This short resting period lets the cake’s structure firm up a bit so that it isn’t so fragile and won’t crack when you flip it out. On the other hand, don’t leave the cake in the pan until it has fully cooled before turning it out, as this can make it stick to the pan.
- Let the cake cool fully before glazing. If you glaze the cake while it’s hot, the glaze may melt and run off the cake.
Variations & Substitutions:
- Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Pound Cake: Whisk together 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until fluffy. Spread onto the cooled cake.
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pound Cake: Fold 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter in step 5.
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake: Swap the pumpkin puree for an equal quantity of mashed sweet potato.
Storage:
- Store the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can refrigerate it in an airtight container to help it stay moist for longer.
- Alternatively, freeze the un-glazed cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage & Make Ahead Tips
Store the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can refrigerate it in an airtight container to help it stay moist for longer.
Alternatively, freeze the un-glazed cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You May Also Like
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Halloween Deviled Eggs
- Healthy Pumpkin Donuts
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Baked Oats
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