Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake Recipe

Name: Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 2 cups brown sugar (, packed); 1 cup vegetable oil; 3 large eggs; 15 ounces pumpkin puree; 3 cups flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup pecans (, chopped)

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake is a show-stopping fall dessert. Rich and moist pumpkin spice caramel cake made with pumpkin puree and chopped pecans.

Just like Brown Sugar Bundt Cake, this beautiful Cake is perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving dessert table or served the next morning as Coffee Cake.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake slice on plate with fork

If you are looking for the ultimate Thanksgiving cake, look no further than this Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake! It has the Pumpkin Pie flavor you love during the holidays with the delicious addition of pecans and brown sugar. Plus this cake is easy to take on the go since it doesn’t need to be chilled.

This easy Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake is a melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin caramel cake with warm fall spices. You can use a pre-made Pumpkin Pie Spice blend to make this cake even easier. The nice thing about making your own spice blend or adding the spices individually is that you can increase the spices you like and leave out spices you don’t care for.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake is a crowd-sized cake that you can make for dessert or brunch. This Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake is rich and sweet all on its own without any frosting. Serve it like a coffee cake warm with a spread of butter or a little maple syrup. You can also top it with Cream Cheese Frosting or Salted Caramel Sauce and more chopped pecans for an extra special dessert.

How to Make Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your bundt pan with baking spray.
Whisk together brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and pumpkin puree in a large bowl.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in the pecans.
Pour into bundt pan and bake for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting to remove from pan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my bundt cake stick to the pan?

Make sure you are generously coating the bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. This is different from regular spray oil because it contains particles of flour, which helps to keep the cake from sticking. If you do not have baking spray on hand, you can easily grease and flour the pan yourself. Generously coat the pan with butter, vegetable oil, or shortening, and then sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour into it. Turn the pan while tapping the outside to spread the flour all over the inside, then tap out any excess. This should ensure that your bundt cake easily releases from the pan.

How long should I let a bundt cake cool before removing it from the pan?

Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before inverting pan to remove. As the cake cools, the steam trapped inside releases. Steam is what causes the cake to break apart, so give it time to evaporate before trying to flip and remove.

How do I fix a broken bundt cake?

There’s nothing frosting can’t fix! If pieces of the cake stick to the pan, or even if it comes out in two pieces, you can still salvage it. Whip up a glaze to stick the pieces back together, and cover the cracks with more glaze or frosting. Sprinkle some extra chopped pecans on top to help cover any imperfections. The results will be so delicious, nobody will even notice!

How do I keep a bundt cake from tasting dry?

This cake is fairly dense due to the brown sugar and pumpkin, so you want make sure you don’t over-mix it and add more denseness. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined and gently fold in the pecans. If your cake is still turning out too dry, your oven could be too hot. Use an oven save thermometer to check that your oven set temperature is correct. If it is off, adjust the dial accordingly until the thermometer reads the correct temperature. You also want to make sure that you are measuring the flour correctly. To correctly measure flour for baking, fluff the flour with a measuring cup so it is not compacted, before spooning flour into the measuring cup, then leveling it off with a flat knife. This way you are not using additional flour from it being compacted in the bag.

What if I don’t have a bundt pan?

You can still make this delicious pumpkin cake in a sheet pan or 13×9 baking dish for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean with moist crumbs.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake on cake plate with slice removed

Key Ingredients in Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is coated in molasses, which makes baked goods extra moist. It also gives this spiced cake a delicious caramel flavor.
Pumpkin: Make sure you buy pure pumpkin in the can, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie mix already contains spices and other ingredients and will have a thinner consistency that you are not looking for. Pure pumpkin is just cooked and puréed pumpkin flesh.
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger all combine to give this amazing cake a ton of pumpkin spice flavor.
Pecans: Pecans go naturally well with fall desserts, especially this pumpkin bundt cake. They add a nutty crunch to the tender cake and taste delicious with the brown sugar and spices.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake ingredients in separate bowls

Variations on Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Nuts: Toast the pecans before adding to add a richer nuttiness to them. You can also use chopped Candied Pecans or Candied Walnuts for sweet, crunchy bursts.
Apples: Substitute ½ cup applesauce for 2 eggs and add 1 cup finely diced tart apples, like Granny Smith or Braeburn, for even more fall flavor!
Pumpkin: You can use homemade Pumpkin Puree instead of canned pumpkin. Swap the pumpkin for boiled and mashed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or yams.
Chocolate: Fold in ½ cup dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips. You can also top your Brown Sugar Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a Chocolate Ganache drizzle.
Sheet Cake: Bake this cake in a sheet pan or 13×9 baking dish for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean with moist crumbs.
Add-ins: Mix in some dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, raisins, or shredded carrots for a variety of texture and flavor. Try adding fun flavors of baking chips like butterscotch, peanut butter, caramel, or white chocolate.
Glaze: Add a beautiful cream cheese glaze by whipping 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly add 1-2 cups of sifted powdered sugar and a few tablespoons milk until you reach a desired consistency. You want it to be pourable but not so thin that it all drips off the cake. Drizzle over the bundt cake and let the glaze drip down the sides. You can also make a maple glaze by replacing the milk with maple syrup.
Ice Cream: Just because the weather is cooling off doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a yummy frozen treat! Warm a slice of cake and serve it with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream. You can even drizzle on some Hot Fudge on top for an extra yummy dessert.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake slice on plate with fork cutting bite

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How to Store Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Serve: Keep Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake at room temperature for up to 3 days covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Store: Cool your Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake before storing so moisture does not collect. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Cover Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cake tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw cake overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator before warming to serve.