Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips. If you like my pumpkin Bundt cake, you’re going to love today’s pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake. We use the same base recipe, skip the chocolate chips, and add a cream cheese layer. Hello, fall!

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake:

Moist, dense pumpkin cake crumb with a cheesecake-style filling Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice (or you can use pumpkin pie spice) Pumpkin + cream cheese make a great team, just like in these pumpkin cream cheese muffins and pumpkin cheesecake pie Conveniently uses 1 standard can of pumpkin. (My beloved pumpkin pie uses an entire can, too. For future reference!) Easy to make; beginner bakers can absolutely handle this one A large, beautiful, impressive cake perfect for fall celebrations—with no decorating skills required

If you love dessert + cozy fall flavors, here’s a list of 30+ fall cake recipes.

These Are Key Ingredients You Need & Why

Like all of the recipes on my website and in my cookbooks, my team and I tested various ingredients and ratios to develop a standout cake with excellent flavor and texture. Here are some key ingredients:

Baking Soda: 2 teaspoons of baking soda seems like a lot, and it is. But think about the size of a Bundt cake… they’re huge, and need to rise quite a lot in the tall cake pan. In addition to leavening, baking soda deepens a baked good’s color and neutralizes its acids. Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. On its own, pumpkin is quite bland, so you need a lot of spice for flavor. You can also use pumpkin pie spice here—see recipe Notes. Oil: You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil here. This cake needs a neutral-tasting oil so it doesn’t overpower the pumpkin spice flavor. Eggs: Pumpkin, oil, and flour are big, heavy ingredients so you need eggs in the batter for lift; eggs also bind the ingredients together. You need an egg for the cream cheese filling, too. Pure Pumpkin: This Bundt cake conveniently uses one standard 15-ounce can of pumpkin. For best results and flavor, I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree instead of homemade. I prefer Libby’s brand for this cake. (Not sponsored by them, just a big fan!) Cream Cheese: It’s important to use the block cream cheese that comes in a box, as opposed to the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. That’s great for bagels, but it doesn’t make for a sturdy, sliceable cheesecake layer.

You also need all-purpose flour, salt, brown sugar + granulated white sugar, and vanilla.

The Best Cream Cheese Filling to Use

You only need 4 ingredients for the cream cheese layer, 3 of which you already got out for the cake batter: brick-style cream cheese, an egg, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. This tangy, creamy filling isn’t overly sweet, which I love—and I think you’ll appreciate too. Real flavors shine through today!

Overview: How to Make It

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a quick visual of the steps: Make the cake batter. This is as simple as whisking together the dry ingredients, whisking together the wet ingredients, and then whisking wet + dry together. Make the cream cheese filling. Use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth—no lumps. Then beat in the remaining ingredients. Let’s layer: Spread half the pumpkin batter into your greased Bundt pan. Carefully spread the cream cheese filling on top. I like to spread it as close to the edges of the pan as possible, so you get filling in every bite. Then top with the remaining cake batter. You follow similar layering methods when making my cheesecake swirl carrot Bundt cake. And bake. This is a huge cake so it takes a while to completely bake through. You’ll also need to let it cool for a bit before you invert it, otherwise it will stick to the pan. As I said before, this cake doesn’t really need a topping, but if you want to add a little something extra, it’s fabulous as pictured with salted caramel sauce + flaky sea salt sprinkled on top. It’s also lovely with vanilla icing + a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. Or go full-cream-cheese-ahead and top with the maple cinnamon cream cheese icing from these pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

Bundt Pan Recommendations

Whichever Bundt pan you use, be sure to grease it very generously before adding the batter. Even if the pan is labeled nonstick, due to the size and weight of a Bundt cake, you NEED a lot of greasing so the cake easily separates from the pan when inverting it.