Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Moist and full of warm spices, this Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake bakes with a crunchy sugar and a delicious tang thanks to the addition of sourdough discard.

Sponsored by Imperial Sugar

It’s a shame that pumpkin gets relegated to only the fall months because it is such an amazing ingredient. Pumpkin imparts a deep earthy flavor to baked goods and is the perfect vehicle of fragrant warm spices. It also adds moisture and with the addition of sourdough discard, it keeps this Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake tasting fresh for up to a week. 

Love sourdough pumpkin recipes? Try my recipes for Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread, Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies, Decorative Pumpkin Sourdough Bread and Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins.

Recipe Box Series

This Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe is the second in my Recipe Box Series with Imperial Sugar. Each month, I’ll be releasing recipes for classic bakes made with a sourdough twist! You can look forward to comforting classics like Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies, Apple Pie with Sourdough Crust, Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies and many others. 

Sugar is such a vital part of every dessert, it imparts flavor, texture, moisture, and without it, it would be impossible to make our favorite bakes. I’m so grateful to Imperial Sugar for making the Recipe Box Series possible and so proud to be partnering with a company with such a long tradition of producing such high-quality products. Imperial Sugar products are 100% pure cane sugar, non-GMO and provide consistently delicious results.

Baking with sourdough discard

Baking powder and baking soda helps this cake rise, instead of biological leaveners (commercial yeast or sourdough). As the batter bakes, baking powder produces carbon dioxide which imparts a soft, and fluffy texture to your cake. Because you won’t be using an active sourdough starter to make this cake rise you can bake with your sourdough discard straight from the refrigerator without activating or feeding it first.

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree: For the best results, use canned pumpkin puree. Homemade pumpkin puree may add more moisture which could affect the texture of your cake. Do not use pumpkin filling because it contains sugar and spices.
Sourdough discard: If you don't have any discard, add 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water to your recipe.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F
2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and ground spices
3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and sugars until completely dissolved
4. Add oil in a steady steam
5. Whisk in the eggs one at a time
6. Stir in pumpkin puree and sourdough discard
7. Alternate folding in dry ingredients and milk
8. Brush bundt pan with cake release and coat in sugar
9. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan
10. Bake bundt cake for 50 to 50 minutes
11. Let the cake cool in pan for 1 hour to allow crumb to set
12. Turn the cake out on a wire rack

How to prevent your bundt cake from sticking to the pan

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending hours on a cake, only to have it stick to your bundt pan when you try to turn it out. All the little nooks and crannies that give bundt cakes their elegant appearance are opportunities for your cake to stick to your pan.

Baking Tips

Grease bundt pan completely: My secret to preventing my bundt cakes from sticking is using a cake release, a mixture of shortening, vegetable oil and all-purpose flour. Just make sure you coat  every corner of your bundt pan thoroughly with cake release. 
Dust with sugar: Dusting some Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar before pouring your cake batter into the pan adds another layer of insurance against sticking and your cake will bake up with a nice crunchy crust.
Allow the crumb to set: Allow the cake to cool completely, your pan should be cool to the touch, this will prevent your cake from breaking apart when you turn it out.

Recipe FAQs

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Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe

Hannah Dela Cruz

Moist, dense and full of warm spices, this Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake bakes up with a crunchy sugar crust thanks to a dusting of Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar in the pan right before baking. 

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 slices

Calories 322 kcal

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Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 320 g all-purpose flour
• ▢ 7 g salt
• ▢ 9 g baking powder
• ▢ 6 g baking soda
• ▢ 2 teaspoon cinnamon ground
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cloves ground
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg grated
• ▢ 113 g unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 133 g vegetable oil plus more for greasing
• ▢ 266 g Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar plus more for dusting
• ▢ 146 g Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs large
• ▢ 56 g whole milk
• ▢ 425 grams pumpkin puree canned
• ▢ 113 grams sourdough discard

Click US Customary to view volume measurements

Instructions

 

• Prepare for baking: Preheat your oven to 375 F with the rack positioned in the middle.
• Make the batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until no clumps remain. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar and Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar. Stir until the sugars have dissolved. Add the oil in a steady stream while you continue stirring the mixture. Whisk the eggs in one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Stir in the pumpkin puree and sourdough discard. 
• Fold in a third of the flour mixture until no traces of flour remain. Stir in half of the milk. Alternate between adding in the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour mixture and folding gently just until all of the flour is incorporated. Don’t overmix your batter or your cake may turn out rubbery. 
• Prepare your bundt pan: Using a pastry brush, coat your bundt pan with oil thoroughly, making sure you apply oil to every nook and cranny to prevent your cake from sticking to the pan. Dust an even layer of Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar in your pan. 
• Pour the cake batter into your bundt pan. Flatten the top of the batter using an offset spatula or butter knife. Pick up your pan and gently tap it on your counter a few times to knock out any air bubbles in your cake. 
• Bake the bundt cake: Bake your cake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of your cake comes out clean. 
• Turn out the cake: Move your bundt pan on a wire rack and let your cake cool inside the pan for 5 minutes. Place the wire rack on top of the pan. Flip your cake onto the wire rack and let your cake settle for another 5 minutes. Tap the pan to loosen your cake and remove the pan. 

Tips

These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.

Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.

Notes

Enjoy and store: Dust with a sprinkling of Imperial Sugar Powdered Sugar. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftover slices at room temperature for up to a week. 

When in doubt use weight over volume measures

Nutrition

Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 4347IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

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