What to Bring to a Party: Pumpkin Bundt with Cream Cheese Frosting

This was a conversation in Sam’s Club back in early November…

Eric: “Oooooh! A Pumpkin Bundt Cake with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING! It’s so beautiful!”
Diana: “Yeah, it does look good.”
Eric: “I think we should get it.”
Diana: “What? We don’t buy things that aren’t on the list. That’s why you’re here, to keep me from buying things that aren’t on the list.”
Eric: “But it looks so good.”
Diana: “It’s probably full of way too much sugar, and preservatives and other unhealthy stuff.”
Eric: “But it looks so good.”
Diana: “Okay, I’ll make you one.”
Eric: *smile*

I try not to make us desserts unless we have somewhere to bring them. This is pretty easy since he leads a Middle School boys’ Bible study, I lead a High School girls’ Bible study, and we’re part of an adult Bible study. Eric has a mega sweet tooth and can eat a whole pie in a couple days. I love my handsome, healthy, fit husband, and although I’ll love him no matter what, I want to help keep him healthy. By having somewhere to take them, we get a piece with everyone else, and maybe have a few leftovers.
I ended up waiting over a month to make his bundt cake. Part of that was because I don’t have a bundt pan, and am not willing/able to pay full price for one. I was checking Goodwill and finally settled for a jello mold. This actually worked out great because it’s half the size of a regular bundt cake pan, so that’s less sugary leftovers for us to “have” to eat. For a full size bundt cake you can double the recipe (I think!).

I’m a pinch of this handful of that kind of cook, so baking is more of a challenge. I still experiment but I do a little research first. I looked at about 10 different recipes for pumpkin bundt cakes and other bundt cakes to get ideas of proportions. I knew what flavors I wanted. The one I liked the most and followed mostly was on epicurious. I liked the idea of using buttermilk. I was nervous, especially because we were taking it to a potluck, but it turned out amazing! By the way, it makes a delicious breakfast too 🙂

I’d say it serves about 16 small pieces (like what people would take at a potluck) or 10 pieces if you were serving it at a party as the only dessert.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)
1/2 cup buttermilk (I made mine by adding 1 tsp white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk, let sit 10 min)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus one egg yolk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

Frosting

3/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix well and spread over cooled cake.