This chocolate pumpkin swirl bundt cake is the ideal non-pie holiday dessert centerpiece! It consists of a rich chocolate sponge swirled with spiced pumpkin cake and covered in a sweet chocolate glaze.
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Why you'll love this chocolate pumpkin cake
- Rich chocolate cake AND moist pumpkin cake in one
- Striking swirl pattern revealed in each slice
- Simple, yet impressive holiday centerpiece
For more fall cake recipes, try my Brown Sugar Chai Cake, Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cake, and Apple Cider Bundt Cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa Powders: I used a combination of dutch process and black cocoa powders for an extra rich chocolate experience.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own with a mixture of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ground ginger.
- Pumpkin Puree: Libby's canned pumpkin is my favorite! Be sure to use pumpkin purée NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugars: I used dark brown sugar in this recipe for a deeper flavor of molasses, but you can use whichever brown sugar you have on hand. You'll also need granulated sugar for the chocolate cake batter.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. I recommend using light-tasting olive oil.
- Eggs: Be sure to use room temperature large eggs so they incorporate into the batter properly.
- Vanilla: Warm fall baked goods MUST have some good quality vanilla.
- Coffee: You'll need freshly brewed coffee to bloom the chocolate and cocoa powders, but alternatively you can use boiling water.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this chocolate pumpkin cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the chocolate cake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined. Lastly, whisk in the hot coffee until fully combined. Set aside.
STEP 2: Make the pumpkin cake batter. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until mostly combined. Then, mix in the pumpkin purée until fully combined.
STEP 3: Bake. Alternate the cake batters in the bundt pan to create an even swirl. Bake the cake for 48-52 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
STEP 4: Glaze & serve. Whisk together the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk. Heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds to bring to a smooth pourable consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, then serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and other ingredients.
- Liberally grease the fluted pan. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, liberally grease it with softened butter or baking spray.
- Turn the cake out after 10 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan longer than 10 minutes, or it may stick to the pan!
- Make the cake ahead of time. This cake stays moist for several days, so if you're making it for a gathering, you can bake it the day before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Dutch process cocoa powder is THE best cocoa powder for baking. Because it's neutralized with an alkalizing agent, it has a smoother flavor and creates the most fudgy and chocolatey baked goods! Black cocoa powder is similar to dutch process, but richer in flavor and darker in color. It is typically used in small amounts alongside another cocoa powder to enhance the color and flavor of the baked good. It smells like actual chocolate cake and is just magical to bake with!
Pumpkin purée is pure pumpkin and the only type of canned pumpkin you should be baking with! Canned pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and other ingredients.
Store this cake in an airtight container for 3-5 days or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag to freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other fall recipes to try
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 266 g (2 ⅓ cups) granulated sugar
- 32 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) dutch process cocoa powder
- 32 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) black cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon (1 ¼ teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g (¾ cup) whole milk, room temp
- 112 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) neutral oil
- 2 eggs, room temp
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 84 g (⅓ cup + ½ tbsp) freshly brewed hot coffee
For the pumpkin cake:
- 210 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 160 g (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 78 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) neutral oil
- 56 g (¼ cup) whole milk
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 320 g (1 ½ cups) pumpkin purée
For the chocolate glaze:
- 42 g (½ cup) dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 113 g (1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- 56 g (¼ cup) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray.
- For the chocolate cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined.
- Lastly, whisk in the hot coffee until fully combined. Set aside.
- For the pumpkin cake: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until mostly combined. Then, mix in the pumpkin purée until fully combined.
- Alternate the cake batters in the bundt pan to create an even swirl.
- Bake the cake for 48-52 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze: Whisk together the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk. Heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds to bring to a smooth pourable consistency.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, then serve.
Notes
- Use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and other ingredients.
- Liberally grease the fluted pan. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, liberally grease it with softened butter or baking spray.
- Turn the cake out after 10 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan longer than 10 minutes, or it may stick to the pan!
- Make the cake ahead of time. This cake stays moist for several days, so if you're making it for a gathering, you can bake it the day before serving.
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