This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is soft, moist, and bursting with pumpkin flavor! It's made with the perfect blend of spices and topped with a luscious chocolate ganache to capture everything you love about fall. Plus, it's a great make-ahead and freezer-friendly dessert.
Who else is ready to cuddle up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee, an ultra-soft blanket, and a crazy delicious piece of pumpkin cake?? 🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️ I am so there. We're still hitting over 100° weather here, so today I am making a cake, turning the AC up, and pretending fall is here in all its glory. 😂
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache is a staple fall dessert around here. We've made it for our annual Pumpkin Carving Party, as one of our Game Day recipes for many a Family Football Sunday (our weekly tradition of inviting the extended family to come over for food and sports), for amongst our spread of Thanksgiving recipes, and for any other fall occasion that gives us the excuse to make it.
Plus it's one of those desserts that is great to make ahead and freeze - in fact, it tastes even more delicious that way. For all of our bundt cake tips and tricks, check our our Foolproof Guide for Baking the Perfect Bundt Cake.
For all pumpkin, chocolate, and bundt cake lovers - this cake is your dream dessert. Give it a try, then come back and leave a comment letting us know what you think!
Such a great cake! And it's really fast and easy, so I'm a big fan.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Aspen
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Ingredients for pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake
- Flour: Just regular, all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Combining the two rising agents helps make a tall cake.
- Salt: I suggest using kosher, but you can also use table salt.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger: All the classic fall spices for this recipe! They pair perfectly with the pumpkin to give this cake tons of flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: I use canned pumpkin, but you can also use fresh. See my notes below for adjustments when using fresh.
- Sugar: Just basic granulated sugar, nothing fancy.
- Eggs: I recommend starting with room temperature eggs to help the batter combine more evenly.
- Oil: Use vegetable or canola oil to add moisture.
- Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet in the cake and dark for the ganache. You can also substitute bittersweet in the ganache.
- Heavy cream: The fat content here is important, so don't substitute with half and half or milk.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake
This cake is ultra simple. First whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Then use a hand mixer or stand mixer to combine the wet ingredients. Mix the dry into the wet on low speed until just combined, then add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 70-80 minutes. It should be tall and a dark golden brown. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before ganaching.
Next up is the ganache. It's super easy. Simply microwave heavy cream for about 45 seconds, pour it over chocolate chips, and leave it be for 3 minutes. As it sits, the chocolate will melt. After 3 minutes, whisk until smooth and pour it over the cooled cake.
For a crowd
Of all desserts, bundt cakes are naturally great for serving crowds. I find that a 10-inch bundt pan typically serve 14-16 comfortably, especially when you add a small scoop of ice cream on top. You can always cut slices thinner to serve more. If you are serving this at a party, I highly suggest making it ahead and freezing (see instructions below).
FAQs
If you use fresh pumpkin that you baked and pureed yourself, the batter will be looser, and thus will take longer to bake. Just increase the baking time slightly.
You can make it 1-3 months ahead and freeze it without the ganache (see freezing instructions below). Or you can make it 1-2 days ahead and refrigerate it. In this case, only ganache the cake if you have an airtight cake carrier to store in the fridge. Otherwise, wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and ganache it on the day of serving.
Yes - and you probably should! Cake becomes more moist after refrigerating or freezing, so making it ahead is a great option. To freeze the cake, allow it to cool fully and skip the ganache. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for 1-3 months. Before serving, allow the cake to thaw at room temperature for 5-8 hours (keep it wrapped while thawing). Once thawed, ganache the cake and allow another 1-2 hours for the ganache to set before serving.
Use baking spray (not just non-stick spray) and use a generous amount. Baking spray has flour in the base, which helps prevent sticking. My favorite is Baker's Joy Original Spray.
After removing the cake from the oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes. Then, using oven mitts, flip the pan in one quick motion onto a cooling rack (don't be afraid to move quickly… moving slowly may cause the cake to crack or fall out before you're ready). Gently lift the pan straight up, releasing the cake. Allow to cool fully before moving.
My favorite method is to use ganache because it is easy to make and falls beautifully on bundt cakes. Allow the cake to cool fully so the ganache doesn't melt off. Place the cake on a cooling rack, then place the cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Pour a thick layer of ganache onto the top of the cake, allowing it to fall down both sides. After you've gone around the whole cake, go back while it is still wet and add more ganache in any spots that are bare or look odd. Lastly, pick up the cooling rack and tap it gently, but firmly, on the cookie sheet. This will help the ganache fall evenly and smoothly on the cake. Allow to set for about an hour.
Because bundt cakes are tall, I always store them in a cake carrier like this one. You can store the cake on the counter or in the fridge for 2-3 days (I recommend the fridge to increase moistness).
Tips and tricks
- First, check out the Q&A section above - it's full of helpful tips to make this cake a success!
- As with all cakes, be careful not to overmix. This is a very thick batter, so you will have to mix it longer than a loose batter. But mix until it is just combined and not excessively longer.
- A secret to making any cake more moist is to refrigerate it overnight or freeze it. I highly recommend making this cake ahead to allow time for one of those options - it really does make a difference!
- Move the cake from the cooling rack to a cake plate using a cake lifter like this one. Makes moving cakes SO easy.
Other fall dessert recipes
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Coffee Caramel Cinnamon Frosting - A classic fall flavor combo with an out-of-this-world frosting!
- Applebee's Blondie Recipe - Soft blondies studded with walnuts and white chocolate chips, all topped with vanilla ice cream and a heavenly maple sauce.
- Easy Apple Crisp Recipe - The easiest fall dessert on the planet! Fresh apples and crumble topping baked to perfection and topped with ice cream.
- Apple and Blueberry Crumble- Similar to the recipe above, but with blueberries for a delicious twist!
- Pecan Squares - The perfect fall treat to make for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
- Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake - Made with a Biscoff cookie crust, this cheesecake adds an extra layer of flavor to the classic fall dessert.
Recipe
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Non-stick baking spray with flour
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin about 2 cups
- 2½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 10 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup heavy cream plus 1-3 tablespoon if needed
- 6 oz chocolate chips dark or bittersweet
Instructions
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan thoroughly with non-stick baking spray.Non-stick baking spray with flour
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a small bowl.3¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon ginger
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil on medium-low speed until combined.1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin, 2½ cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Don't overmix.1 10 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This cake is tall, so make sure there is not a rack above it while baking.
- Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Invert the warm cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.
Chocolate Ganache
- Once the cake is cool, microwave heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl for 40-45 seconds until hot, but not boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit without stirring for 3 minutes. Then whisk until the ganache is smooth. (If the ganache is not smooth or is too thick, heat an additional 1-3 tablespoon of cream in the microwave until hot, then pour into ganache and whisk. Do NOT microwave the ganache).½ cup heavy cream, 6 oz chocolate chips
- Place the bundt cake on a cooling rack, and set the cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing excess ganache to drip onto the cookie sheet (see more tips in the Q&A section of this post). Allow ganache to set 1-2 hours before serving.
Notes
- First, check out the Q&A section above - it's full of helpful tips to make this cake a success!
- As with all cakes, be careful not to overmix. This is a very thick batter, so you will have to mix it longer than a loose batter. But mix until it is just combined and not excessively longer.
- A secret to making any cake more moist is to refrigerate it overnight or freeze it. I highly recommend making this cake ahead to allow time for one of those options - it really does make a difference!
- Move the cake from the cooling rack to a cake plate using a cake lifter like this one. Makes moving cakes SO easy.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Aspen says
I’ve made this for a party last fall, and people loved it. Told the same group I am bringing it again this year, and they got super excited. Such a great cake! And it’s really fast and easy, so I’m a big fan.
Leslie says
Mmmm I love pumpkin with chocolate. The cake turned out really tall, so it served a lot of people easily. It was moist, but with a firm crust. The ganache was perfect!
Misty says
Yes, it definitely serves a crowd easily. We're glad you enjoyed it.