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I love Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake, and this one has a ribbon of cheesecake baked right through the middle of a soft cake spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. From the outside, it looks like a plain pumpkin bundt with maple glaze running down the sides, and nobody knows there’s a secret tunnel of creamy cheesecake inside until you cut into it.
If you poke around this site, you’ll find that we really like pumpkin recipes, and we really like cream cheese recipes. I have several recipes that combine those two flavors, like my sheet cake slathered with a creamy white chocolate and cream cheese frosting, and my easy pumpkin roll filled with a zesty cream cheese filling. And I also have some cute little cheesecake bites with pumpkin that I love to serve at parties, or, if you want bigger, then try the pumpkin bars with a cheesecake filling.
You see? It’s a thing around here! Naturally, adding a bundt cake seemed like the right move. It looks like a glazed pound cake until you slice it and discover the ribbon of cream cheese filling running through the center.
Testing results for pumpkin bundt cake
- I have baked this cake and needed a foil tent around 45 minutes into the bake time—and other times I have baked it and never needed to tent it! Ovens vary, and sometimes yours can run a little hot, so always check.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredient notes
Here are a few things to know about the ingredients.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Pumpkin puree: Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. A standard can holds more than the 1 1/4 cups this takes, so I use the leftover in my Pumpkin Scones.
Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese, softened all the way through before you beat the filling.
Cornstarch: Add three tablespoons to the cheesecake filling to keep it thick through an hour in a hot oven.
Buttermilk: You need it in two places, three-quarters of a cup in the batter and a tablespoon or two in the glaze. Bring the batter portion to room temperature, along with the eggs and cream cheese.
Related 📖 ➡️ Buttermilk in Southern cooking
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make pumpkin bundt cake
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl and beat the cheesecake filling smooth in another.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the stand mixer, add the pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs, then add the flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating additions on low speed.
- Spread half the batter in the prepared pan and press a shallow trench down the center of the ring. Spoon the cheesecake filling into the trench and keep it off the pan wall, since filling that touches the metal can split the cake when you turn it out. Pour the rest of the batter over the top to seal it in, which gives you a pumpkin bundt cake with cream cheese filling instead of a marbled one.
- Bake until the top looks dry and a wooden skewer comes out with crumbs, checking partway through and tenting with foil if the top is getting dark.
- Leave the cake in the pan for the full hour. That hour sets the cheesecake layer, and a set layer helps the whole cake turn out cleanly. Let it cool completely on the plate, then pour the maple glaze over the cooled cake.
What to serve with pumpkin bundt cake
This is a beautiful dessert-table cake. I love to set it out at Thanksgiving next to my other pumpkin desserts and the traditional sweet potato desserts like sweet potato pie and casserole. For a prettier presentation, I like to slice a few pieces and then leave the rest whole for folks to slice themselves.
This cake is also really pretty sliced and fanned out on a silver platter. If you’re putting together the whole spread, my Southern Thanksgiving Menu has plenty of suggestions for the rest of your meal.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch, 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour over the spray, and turn the pan so the flour coats every groove. Tap out the excess and set the pan aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl, beat 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons cornstarch on high speed until smooth and slightly fluffy. Set the cheesecake filling aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3 large eggs, room temperature. Beat on high speed until mixed through, about 1 minute.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until no streaks of flour remain, about 1 minute.
- Add half of the 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature and beat on low until combined. Continue adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, beating on low speed, until everything is mixed through.
- Spoon about half the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Use the back of a spoon to dig a shallow trench down the middle of the ring.
- Spoon the reserved cheesecake filling into the trench, keeping it away from the sides of the pan.
- Top with the remaining pumpkin batter and smooth it out evenly.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Check at the 45-minute mark and tent the top loosely with aluminum foil if it is browning too fast. The cake is done when the top is browned and looks dry and a wooden skewer comes out with only crumbs attached.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 1 full hour. Turn it out onto a serving plate and let it cool completely, another hour.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons maple syrup together with a fork. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk, starting with 1 tablespoon, until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake and let it run down the sides. Let the glaze stand about 10 minutes to set, then slice and serve.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Storage
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days, and let slices come to room temperature before serving. To freeze, slice the cake first and layer the slices in an airtight container with parchment paper between them. The slices keep for up to two months, and they thaw best at room temperature.
A 10-inch, 12-cup bundt pan. The batter and the filling together fill it close to the top, so a smaller pan will overflow.
Yes. Creaming the butter and sugar takes a little longer with a hand mixer, so give it the full two minutes and watch for it to turn smooth and creamy with no lumps.
Yes. The batter calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons of spice in total, so use that much pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavor comes out a little more clove-forward.
