Halloween Bundt Cake
This Halloween bundt cake is moist, fluffy pumpkin cake packed with warming autumn flavours like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s topped with a rich, tangy cream cheese glaze that drips beautifully down the sides. To make it extra festive, I’ve added fun edible sugar eyes that give it a playful, spooky Halloween vibe. Perfect for parties, treats, or just enjoying with a cup of coffee on a crisp autumn day.
Equipment
- Piping Bag optional
- 2D Piping Nozzle optional
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 300 grams plain flour 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 200 grams light brown sugar 1 cup, packed
- 150 grams granulated sugar ¾ cup
- 240 mililitres vegetable oil (or melted butter) 1 cup
- 4 large eggs
- 425 grams pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling) 1 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cream cheese glaze:
- 115 grams full-fat cream cheese, softened 4 oz / ½ cup
- 60 grams unsalted butter, softened 4 tbsp / ¼ cup
- 250-300 grams icing sugar 2–2 ½ cups (powdered sugar), sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or double cream only if needed for consistency
- Sugar eyes
Instructions
- Prep the Tin – Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 26x9 cm bundt tin really well, making sure to get into all the grooves, then dust lightly with flour.
- Mix Dry Ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Mix Wet Ingredients – In another bowl, beat together sugars, oil, eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine – Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Bake – Pour batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool – Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla and half of the icing sugar. Mix on low speed until combined, then add the rest of the sugar.
- Beat until thick, smooth, and fluffy. If it’s too thick to spread or drizzle, add a teaspoon of milk or cream at a time until it loosens just slightly.
- Spoon or drizzle over the cooled bundt cake, letting some drip down the sides but keeping most of it thick and luscious on top.
- Add the sugar eyes, placing them at random.