Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake Recipe for Fall Gatherings

This ultra-moist Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake delivers deep pumpkin flavor, warm spices, a ribbon of cinnamon and brown sugar, and a rich homemade caramel glaze.

Over the years we’ve shared many pumpkin recipes—from pumpkin spice cake and a classic pumpkin roll to pumpkin pound cake and cupcakes. This Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake is a welcome addition for fall gatherings, birthdays, potlucks, and Thanksgiving desserts. It’s sure to please family and friends.

How to Make a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

The full, printable recipe is at the bottom of this post. Below is a concise overview of the process.

For the Swirl

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan.
• Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside; you’ll use it after adding half the batter to the pan.

For the Cake Batter

• Whisk together cake flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Cream softened butter and sugar in an electric mixer (paddle attachment) for 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy.

• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until incorporated.
• In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients: canned pumpkin, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla; set aside.

• With the mixer on low and starting and ending with the flour mixture, add the dry and pumpkin mixtures alternately (three additions of dry, two of wet). Mix just until combined. This yields about 8 cups of batter.

• Pour roughly half the batter (about 4 cups) into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon–brown sugar mixture over the batter.

• Top with the remaining batter and smooth gently with the back of a spoon.

• Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with only a few crumbs and the cake springs back when touched. Baking times vary—start checking around the 60-minute mark.
• Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning it out to cool completely.

Caramel Glaze

The caramel glaze adds a buttery, sweet finish that complements the warm spices and pumpkin. It pairs beautifully with spice, pumpkin, and chocolate cakes.

To make the glaze, melt butter in a medium saucepan, add light brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, vanilla, and a tablespoon of light corn syrup (helps prevent crystallization). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 6 minutes while watching carefully to avoid boil-over. Remove from heat and let cool slightly; the glaze will thicken as it cools.

If you need it to cool faster, pour the glaze into a long, shallow dish and chill briefly. The recipe makes about 1 cup of caramel sauce; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Final Touches

After the cake has cooled completely, spoon or pipe the caramel glaze over the top. For a controlled drip effect, use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped away. Finish with chopped pecans or toffee bits for crunch, if desired.

More Fall Cakes

If you enjoy fall baking, try other seasonal cakes like pumpkin spice cake, sweet potato pound cake, Italian cream cake, carrot cake, and apple dapple cake. These recipes share similar warm flavors and are perfect for autumn gatherings.

Thanks for visiting—enjoy this cake! If you love pumpkin desserts, this Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake may become a new favorite.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

This moist, tender bundt cake combines pumpkin spice flavor with a cinnamon-brown-sugar swirl and a silky caramel glaze.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Course: Dessert

Servings: 15

Ingredients

• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (170g)
• 2 ½ cups white sugar (500g)
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups cake flour (342g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (3g)
• 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (5g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2g)
• ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
• 15 oz canned pumpkin puree (425g)
• 1 cup buttermilk (242g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (6g)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil (54g)

For the Cinnamon Swirl

• ½ cup light brown sugar (108g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2g)

For the Caramel Glaze

• ½ stick unsalted butter (57g)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (217g)
• ½ cup heavy cream (126g)
• ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (18g)

Optional Topping

• Chopped pecans and/or toffee bits

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Mixture

Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

For the Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan.
2. Whisk together cake flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Cream butter and sugar 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
4. In a separate bowl mix pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
5. With mixer on low, add dry and wet mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined; yields about 8 cups of batter.
6. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the cinnamon–brown-sugar mixture over it, then add the remaining batter and smooth lightly.
7. Bake 60–70 minutes at 325°F, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake springs back. Start checking near 60 minutes.
8. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before glazing.

For the Caramel Glaze

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, cream, salt, vanilla, and corn syrup.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer 6 minutes, stirring and watching to prevent boil-over. Remove from heat.
3. Let cool until slightly thickened. If needed, chill briefly in a long shallow dish to speed cooling.
4. Spoon or pipe the glaze over a completely cooled cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans or toffee bits if desired.

Storing the Cake

Store at room temperature under a cake dome or airtight container. After a couple of days, refrigerate for freshness. If chilled, bring to room temperature a few hours before serving to soften.

Notes

Substitute for cake flour: To make one cup cake flour from all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons flour and replace with 2 tablespoons cornstarch; whisk together. For this recipe (3 cups cake flour), remove 6 tablespoons from 3 cups all-purpose flour and replace with 6 tablespoons cornstarch.

Bundt pan: Our pan holds about 12 cups and measures roughly 10 inches. Do not fill past ¾ full; smaller pans may require longer bake time.