Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

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!

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Classic Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cupcakes