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This moist chocolate chip pumpkin bundt cake with cream cheese frosting is the perfect treat to enjoy with a glass of apple cider this fall. Make it with simple ingredients, including real pumpkin puree, cozy spices, and chocolate chips. You don’t even need a mixer!
This recipe is like the bundt cake version of my pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes! If you’re also craving cozy desserts now that fall is in the air, check out my pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin roll cake, and pumpkin pound cake, too.
Rich with cozy spices and melty chocolate, this super-moist pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake is right at home on our fall dessert table. It’s easily one of my favorites to bake! Thick, fluffy, and packed with flavor and moisture from pumpkin puree, this easy pumpkin bundt cake recipe is extra delicious when I add a blanket of creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting. The best part is that, like my original pumpkin cake, bundt cakes take so little effort to make from scratch, and are perfect for a special occasion (or just because).
About This Fall Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Chocolate Chips
- No fussing. You can make this homemade pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake without a mixer. It’s easier to prepare than a layer cake, and the classic bundt shape makes it look festive without even trying!
- Considered ingredients. Every crumb of this pumpkin bundt cake is so soft and moist, thanks to the eggs, oil, and rich pumpkin puree in the batter.
- The best seasonal flavors. All of your favorite fall flavors, including pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, combine in this cake. It’s a great choice for a Halloween party or a Thanksgiving dessert!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the exact ingredient amounts and full recipe details.
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. If your baking soda has been open in the pantry for more than 6 months, consider buying a fresh package. Expired/old leavening may give your cake a strange, metallic taste, and the cake won’t rise properly.
- Spices – I like to use a mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. You could use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice in place of the individual spices.
- Vegetable Oil – Choose a neutral cooking oil, like canola oil. Oil stays liquid at room temperature (as opposed to butter, which turns solid), keeping this pumpkin cake extra moist and tender.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is my go-to for this cake. Light brown sugar also works.
- Eggs – Take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of baking so they can come to room temperature. This way, they’ll mix more smoothly into the cake batter.
- Pumpkin Puree – It’s important to make this pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake with canned pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has additives and sweeteners, and is not interchangeable with 100% pumpkin puree in recipes.
- Chocolate Chips – I usually go with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can fill your cake with dark chocolate, white chocolate, or milk chocolate chips or chunks.
Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese – Make sure this comes to room temperature. I recommend full-fat cream cheese for a rich, creamy frosting.
- Butter – This also needs to come to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – Sifting out the lumps beforehand ensures that the frosting has a smooth consistency. Optional, but recommended!
- Maple Extract – Feel free to leave this out if you’re not a fan of maple flavor, but I love the extra touch of sweetness and fall flair.
- Water – Or milk, to thin out the frosting to your desired consistency. Heavy cream will yield an extra-rich cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Step-By-Step
The pumpkin cake batter comes together in a few minutes, and then it’s a matter of waiting while your bundt cake bakes and cools! I’ll usually prepare the cream cheese frosting in the meantime, and keep it covered in the fridge so it’s ready to use afterward.
- Prepare the cake pan. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, grease a 10-inch bundt pan. You can be generous when it comes to coating the bundt pan with butter or cooking spray. For extra insurance against sticking, lightly dust the pan with flour after you’ve greased it.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with salt, baking soda, and spices.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, cream the oil and sugar together, then add the eggs one at a time. Mix after each addition until combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, followed by the pumpkin puree, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until well combined (but don’t over-mix!), and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the pan and bake. Last but not least, pour the cake batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake this pumpkin cake at 350ºF for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. After baking, let your bundt cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before you frost it. Don’t let the bundt cake cool to room temperature in the pan, or it will get stuck.
- Frost the cake. When the cake is completely cooled, make the icing. Start by beating the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then, add the powdered sugar and maple extract and mix until smooth. Finally, add 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk until you get the right consistency. Pipe or spread the icing onto the cake, then slice and serve!
Tips for a Perfect Bundt Cake
- Measure the flour correctly. If needed, refer to my tutorial on how to measure flour with or without a kitchen scale so you don’t end up overmeasuring. Too much flour will make your pumpkin bundt cake dry.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. This can lead to a tough, dense cake, so only mix until the batter is just combined. This is also why I mix the dry ingredients in gradually, alternating with the pumpkin puree.
- Grease the bundt pan. Thoroughly grease all the nooks and crannies of your bundt pan. You don’t want the cake to stick when you try to remove it.
- Cool the cake completely before you frost it. If you add the cream cheese frosting too early, it will melt and drip down the sides of the warm cake.
Decorating and Serving Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This moist and delicious pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake is delicious topped with cream cheese glaze, or you can try these other easy decorating and serving ideas. In most cases, I’d recommend adding any decorations closer to serving.
- Sprinkles. If you add some orange and brown sprinkles, this would be the perfect cake for a Halloween party! Or, add orange, yellow, and brown for a Thanksgiving dessert.
- Different frosting. Instead of cream cheese frosting, cover your bundt cake with festive pumpkin spice buttercream, classic vanilla frosting, or commit to the chocolate with fudgy chocolate buttercream!
- Ice cream. Vanilla ice cream tastes amazing with a slice of pumpkin bundt cake. Or, add a swirl of homemade whipped cream.
- Powdered sugar. If you want to omit the frosting, simply dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and enjoy!
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store the frosted pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The unfrosted cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freeze. Yes! For the best results, if you know ahead of time that you will be freezing this cake, do so without the frosting. I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap (or keep them in an airtight container) and freeze them for up to 3 months. Remember to let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying it again!
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 14-16
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This festive chocolate chip pumpkin bundt cake is soft, moist, and full of fall spices and gooey chocolate chips. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving or any occasion!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1–2 tablespoons water or milk
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10 inch bundt pan.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a medium sized bowl until combined. Set aside.
3. Combine oil and sugar in another large mixing bowl and mix until well blended.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined after each addition.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until well combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined, but don’t over mix.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Transfer batter to bundt pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cake is completely cooled, make icing. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
10. Add powdered sugar and maple extract and mix until smooth.
11. Add 1-2 tbsp of water or milk until you get the right consistency.
12. Pipe or spread icing onto cake.
Notes
- To store. This pumpkin bundt cake can be stored for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. If you don’t add the icing, the cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- To freeze. For the best results, if you know ahead of time that you will be freezing this cake, do so without the frosting. I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap (or keep them in an airtight container) and freeze them for up to 3 months. Remember to let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying it again!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 512
- Sugar: 47.1 g
- Sodium: 224.5 mg
- Fat: 26.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.2 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
Made several times it is great!
So glad to hear that!
Could this cake be made in two 9” round pans? Thanks.
I haven’t tried it so be able to say for sure how it’d turn out. I imagine it would be ok.
Love it! Have made it several times now and always turns out great!
Can this be made ahead and frozen for a couple weeks? Looks sooo yummy !
That should be fine. Just be sure to wrap it well before freezing and then thaw it in the fridge before serving.
I want to make in mini Bundts do I need to change anything besides cooking time?
I don’t think so.
I wanted to bake something with pumpkin even though I wasn’t sure if I loved pumpkin desserts. Substituted espresso chips for half of the chocolate chips. AMAZING!!! Thanks for such a great recipe.
Could you please advise whether the pumpkin gets mixed with the egg, oil and sugar, or with the dry ingredients? Someone asked this earlier but I think you misunderstood the question. I’m assuming it gets mixed with the wet ingredients, and then the wet and dry get mixed together alternatively? It looks delicious and can’t wait to try it!
I have updated the instructions to hopefully be more clear.
I plan to use this recipe as mini bundt cakes instead of one big one. Would the baking time be the same?
No. The cakes are far smaller so you’d need to reduce the time. I haven’t done minis though so I’m not sure what the time would be.
Can I possibly convert this into muffins, as well? It’s so great i want it mobile too!
Thanks
I imagine that would be fine. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the cake!
can You clarify how to add the pumpkin? I assume it gets mixed in with the wet ingredients?
Do you want to add half of the drain gradients and mix it in, then add the pumpkin and mix that in, then add the rest of the dry gradients and mix. I hope that helps!
Can this be made in a 13 x 9 pan?
I haven’t ever tried it to be able to say. It may turn out fairly dense.
Looks scrumptious! Do you refrigerate it? Trying to make a cake for a carnival cake walk on Saturday. The cakes have to be delivered the Friday before, but no refrigeration is available. Thinking about skipping the frosting which I hate because frosting rocks, but worried about lack of refrigeration…. Ugh! Any thoughts or tips?!!
I would recommend storing in an air tight container at room temperature.