Name: Butterscotch Glazed Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients: 1 cup neutral-flavored oil; ½ cup melted butter; 2 ¼ cups light brown sugar; 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (sometimes called pumpkin purée); 1 cup buttermilk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; 2 teaspoons baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark); ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream; ¼ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 2 teaspoons scotch, optional

Featured in our Holiday 2025 Food + Entertaining article, The Simple Joys of the Season, this butterscotch glazed pumpkin bundt cake is moist, tender and bursting with warm-spiced pumpkin flavor!

Butterscotch Glazed Pumpkin Bundt Cake

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Course: Dessert

Servings

servings

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 cup neutral-flavored oil
½ cup melted butter
2 ¼ cups light brown sugar
15-ounce can pure pumpkin (sometimes called pumpkin purée)
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the butterscotch sauce:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons scotch, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Get out a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper or foil on a work surface (for easy clean up) topped with a cooling rack.
Whisk together oil, butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Add the eggs and whisk again until nice and smooth. Next, sprinkle the spices, baking soda, and salt over the top of the batter and whisk until smooth and no lumps of baking soda remain. Finally add the flour and whisk until it’s incorporated and the batter is fairly smooth.
Prepare your Bundt pan by spraying it generously with baking spray (not cooking spray). Using a small piece of paper toweling, rub the baking spray into all the grooves and crevices, including the interior of the center tube. Spray the pan all over again very lightly.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 70–85 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean OR until the temperature in the center of the cake reads 200–210 degrees when checked with an instant thermometer. Checking the temperature is the best way to ensure that the cake is perfectly done.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
For the butterscotch glaze:
Combine all glaze ingredients together in a medium-large (you want a fairly large bowl as the mixture will bubble up as it cooks), microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine. Microwave on high power for 2 minutes then stir well. Microwave another 3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
To glaze the cake:
After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, brush the top with the butterscotch glaze. Wait one minute, allowing the glaze to sink in then invert the cake onto the cooling rack. Slowly, brush the butterscotch glaze all over the cake, allowing it to sink in as you go. (You will end up with more butterscotch glaze than you need.) If at any time the glaze seems thick and isn’t brushing smoothly onto the cake, add a bit more cream—just a teaspoon or two at a time to thin it out. When the cake is nicely coated with the glaze, allow it to cool completely then transfer to a cake platter.

Notes

Recipe by Chris Scheuer, The Café Sucre Farine
Make ahead: The cake can be stored, covered or on a domed cake plate, for up to a day. It also freezes beautifully!