With canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, this Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake is moist and dense and the perfect flavors of fall.
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Who doesn't love a bundt cake? This one happens to be a pound cake, and a good pound cake should be dense, but very moist and flavorful. You should be able to pick up a piece of it with your hands without it falling apart.
I've been making my gluten free cream cheese pound cake for years, which is a great go-to dessert that always wows everyone. I usually serve it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, which is perfect for spring or summer. But it's fall now and I really wanted pound cake, so I decided to see how my recipe would fare by adding pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. And I'm happy to say it was delicious and the perfect addition to my fall dessert repertoire!
Ingredients in Gluten Free Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend--a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested.
- Butter--all good pound cakes begin with butter
- Cream cheese--this bundt cake is based on my cream cheese pound cake, but to add the pumpkin I needed to reduce the cream cheese.
- Brown sugar--the original recipe doesn't call for brown sugar, but brown sugar and pumpkin go well together.
- Eggs--lots of eggs (6 to be exact) go into this cake as they are the only leaveners. There is no baking powder or soda to leaven the cake.
- Pumpkin puree--make sure to buy real pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling
- Pumpkin pie spice--pumpkin itself is pretty bland, so what people mostly associate as pumpkin flavor is really made with a few spices thrown together, known as pumpkin pie spice. You can buy this at some stores, but it's so easy to make. More on that below.
here's how to make this bundt cake
- Beat butter, cream cheese, sugars, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and salt on medium high until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
- Fold in the flour blend.
- Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with with just a few small crumbs.
- Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
- Carefully flip over onto cake plate or stand.
- Combine powdered sugar, hot milk, maple syrup, and maple extract and whisk until smooth.
- Pour over cake. Allow to form a crust.
- Serve.
pumpkin bundt cake FAQs
Yes! It actually gets better with age and stays moist for days. It will keep at room temperature for 4-5 days, covered, or can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months.
No, it will still be delicious without the glaze, but the glaze is so good there's no reason to leave it off.
Yes, you don't have to use the spiral one that I have. Any type of bundt pan can be used, as long as it holds 10 cups of batter.
more gluten free pumpkin recipes
This Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a sweet maple glaze is dense and moist with full pumpkin flavor throughout.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (3 sticks or 283 g) butter, softened
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (420 g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Glaze
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon milk, heated in microwave to almost boiling
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or use my recipe for cake goop (in the notes section below). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese with the sugars, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until smooth, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway between creaming.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each. The mixture will look curdled and that's normal.
- Fold in the flour by hand with a spatula.
- Scoop batter into prepared Bundt or tube pan and smooth top. Bake at 300° F for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or long skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan. Flip over and remove from pan onto a cake plate or cake stand.
- To make the glaze, whisk all glaze ingredients together until smooth, starting with 2 tablespoon of milk and adding more as needed for proper pouring consistency. Slowly pour over cake and let drip down the sides.
Bonnie says
My whole family has COVID, so we can’t attend our family thanksgiving festivities. I made this last night, and I’m working on other recipes, many of them from here. This one did not disappoint.
The cake is super easy to make. The glaze is even easier. It doesn’t taste gluten free at all. I will make this again. My husband dislikes pumpkin pie, but he devoured this cake.
Amy says
We are wanting to make this for Thanksgiving!!!! It looks amazing. We normally use King Arthur GF flour - I know you recommend your flour, but do you think the King Arthur will still work??
Kim says
Yes, for things like cakes and such, another flour blend should work fine. It's the breads that are difficult.
Cathy Borten says
Just made this in mini fall shape tins (pumpkins, acorns) and they are awesome. Question - recipe doesn’t mention the cream cheese and vanilla in the method. I creamed with butter and sugars but wanted to ask if that was correct. Thanks!
Kim says
Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Yes, you were absolutely correct and I will correct it in the recipe right now. Thank you for catching that!!
Drina Boban says
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a BIG hit. Everyone raved about it and as you said in your previous response to me, it lasted beautifully in a covered cake taker. Thanks so much, Kim!!! Definitely a keeper.
Kim says
Yay! You've been busy baking ALL the cakes and pies 🙂 🙂 🙂
Drina Boban says
Yes! And loving every second of it. It's so fun to bake again 🙂 Thank you!
Drina Boban says
Hi Kim, this looks amazing! I'd like to make it for Thanksgiving. If I make this 2 days in advance (and refrigerate it), do you think it will hold up okay? Thanks!
Kim says
Absolutely! In fact, I just recently brought this up to my mother-in-law's, which is about 8 hours away, and everyone snacked on it for at least 3 days, unrefrigerated. I kept it in a covered cake taker 🙂
Drina Boban says
Thanks so much, Kim!
Leigh Miller says
This is a beautiful cake, and I don't care for pumpkin, so you know it caught my eye! Do you think it might work with mashed sweet potato?
Kim says
Yes!! Sweet potato sounds amazing 🙂
Sherry says
I didn’t see what temperature to bake this at. Or I missed it.
Kim says
Sorry, Sherry! I totally missed that. It's 300 degrees F, and it's been added to the post.
Debbie Sanders says
What is the oven temp? Didn’t see that
Doris Townsend says
Girls... I’m asking the same question... what temperature do I set the oven? Only mentions baking at low temperature
Doris Townsend says
I looked up Kim’s recipe for Cream Cheese Pound Cake that she bakes at 300 degrees for 1 & 1/2 hours. Recipe uses 6 eggs. I would appreciate an answer from Kim on the oven temp just to be sure!
Kim says
Thanks, Doris! Yes, you were right. It was 300 degrees F. Thank you all for finding my mistake and I have since fixed it 🙂
Kim says
I'm so sorry, Debbie! It's 300 degrees F. I corrected it in the post.