My Pumpkin Doughnut Cake is a golden, lightly spiced pumpkin cake with a crisp sugar doughnut crust that makes it the ULTIMATE fall coffee cake, snack cake, or dessert ~ you decide!
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Going on the assumption that more is better, I mega-sized a pumpkin doughnut into a pumpkin bundt cake
If you’ve tried my apple cider doughnut cake, or my apple cider doughnut muffins, for that matter, you’ll know that the concept is a winner. This cake takes on the persona of that perfect pumpkin sugar doughnut that only makes an appearance once a year at your favorite doughnut shop. Just like those prized doughnuts, the crust is crisp and the inside is soft and cakey, with lots of pumpkin flavor.
Some foods are just really good at setting the tone for a season, and this is one of them. Make this cake, set it out on the counter, and you’ll feel like you’ve won fall, even if you don’t get to do any of your regular activities this year.
What you’ll need for a pumpkin doughnut cake
- canned pumpkin
- eggs
- buttermilk
- vegetable oil
- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
- flour ~ use all purpose or cake flour
- sugar ~ granulated
- baking powder and baking soda, salt
- butter
The secret to making a dough-nutty cake
- When the cake comes out of the oven, I let it cool slightly, then flip it out of the pan.
- I brush the warm cake with plenty of melted butter, followed immediately with as much sugar as I can sprinkle/pat on.
- The effect is a light crunchy ‘crust’ that makes this cake dough-nutty and delicious.
Why you’ll love this cake
It’s an easy recipe that can be made in a bowl with a whisk ~ no beaters or stand mixers needed.
It’s got a lovely golden color and a gentle spice flavor profile everybody loves. Pumpkin comes but once a year, and it’s always a welcome ingredient!
There’s no frosting or glaze to deal with, but the simple sugar coating makes a huge difference. It’s delicious but not decadent.
pumpkin rules
Pumpkin Crisp ~ meet my favorite fall crisp, this one is unexpected and fabulous!
Pecan Praline Pumpkin Cake ~ this sheet cake is a crowd pleaser…I think it’s the frosting 😉
Libby’s Pumpkin Pie ~ it’s a classic for a reason.
Warm Pumpkin Pudding Cakes ~ the texture is so unique!
Flourless Pumpkin Spice Cake ~ pillowy soft and gluten free.
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake ~ it’s a holiday tradition in our house.
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Pumpkin Doughnut Cake
Equipment
- standard non stick bundt pan
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
coating
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter and flour your bundt pan, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Don't skip this step!
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a another bowl.
- Blend the dry ingredients with the wet, mixing just until combined, don't over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then loosen the cake all around the edges with a thin offset spatula, and invert it. If the cake sticks, loosen it a little more and try again.
- Brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle generously all over with the sugar. Try to pat on as much sugar as you can.
- Slice the cake and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Great recipe, the cake was delicious! I substituted classic dairy ingredients with dairy-free alternatives (i.e. Country Crock Plant Butter and Oatly Barista “Whole” Oat milk” due to dairy allergies, and they worked great! I also made a cinnamon-sugar mixture for dusting the cake before enjoying, and it was so wonderful and spiced! Will definitely make this again.
Thanks for that info about non-dairy, that’s super helpful.
This is an outstanding cake! I typically don’t go out of my way to make pumpkin recipes, but my partner LOVES the pumpkin so I whipped this up. Even though I’m not a pumpkin fan, I loved this. It’s not too sweet, and the flavor is both sophisticated and subtle. Because I used gluten free flour (which is very “thirsty”), I increased the milk. Unfortunately, I didn’t measure the additional milk as I eyeballed it 0 adding in small amounts until the batter looked right, and by “right” I mean it looked like a quick-bread batter – NOT a layer cake batter. The nice thing about GF flour is that, without the gluten, you can work with it more than regular flour without the cake becoming tough. The cake turned out perfectly moist without being heavy or dense. One other change I made was roasting my own pumpkin. Over the past several weeks, I have roasted several varieties of pie pumpkin, and I found that that the water content varies greatly between individual pumpkins and varieties! The pumpkin I used in this cake had a consistency similar to a very thick apple butter or a mashed acorn squash. That could also be why I felt it needed the extra milk as the pumpkin had less water than canned. Overall, my pumpkin-fanatic partner, for whom I lovingly made this case, says it is an absolute redo recipe. I wholeheartedly agree.
Happy to hear this! And interesting about the water content of pumpkins, that makes sense since they are so varied these days.
I’m eating some right now! It’s delicious. For topping I instead used a maple glaze because I was out of butter. Highly recommend! I would like it to taste even more pumpkin-y, but that could be because I’ve been thinking about this recipe since I got it in my email!
Nice twist, thanks for the review Alison!
Can I use pie filling if that’s all I have? What changes should I make do you think?
I love all your recipes!
I would just use it and leave everything the same.
What size can of pumpkin do you use? Thank you
I use a 15 ounce can.
Looks delicious can you make it using pumpkin cake mix
I don’t see why not!
My husband and I are currently enjoying your kid fashioned donut cake and it’s absolutely amazing! I really like all your recipes as they are easy to follow. I will be making this one next. One question:
Do you have a chocolate old fashioned donut cake recipe? Would it work if I substitute some of the regular flour with baking chocolate? And also eliminate the nutmeg I suppose. What do you think?
Hey Teresa, glad you’re enjoying the doughnut cake and yes, I do have a chocolate one, Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Cake.
Love it. Everyone liked the cake. I did use half cup melted butter and 1/4 cup (grapeseed) oil instead of 3/4 cup
Oil. Good flavor and not overly sweet. Perfect.
Thanks Stephie 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. Looks great!
Sue, I was NOT going to fall for any pumpkin recipes, but then you brought this one……shame on you, but I can taste it now.
Bwahaha!!