This pumpkin bundt cake is bursting with warm pumpkin spices and studded with chocolate chips. Topped with a pumpkin spice glaze, this Fall cake is perfect for hiding sourdough discard!
[October, 2022: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- Big pumpkin flavor punctuated with warm pumpkin spices and studded with chocolate chips
- Strongly flavored quick breads are perfect to use for sourdough discard recipes
- You can scale the recipe to make a large or small bundt cake, or change your presentation to a sourdough pumpkin bread loaf
Every Thanksgiving for the last, oh, 35 years or so, my Father-in-law insists that I bring my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (he says it’s my “ticket to enter”…he’s such a kidder...I think).
Longtime readers know my search for uses for my weekly sourdough starter discard has bordered on obsessive. My search has led me to make bagels, dinner rolls, English muffins, and pretzels, all using the unfed starter. On the sweet side I’ve made Sourdough Gingerbread and Sourdough Spice Cake, so Sourdough Pumpkin Cake is a natural progression on my adaptation list.
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What you need
Using my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe as a starting point, the ingredients are the basics: flour, pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling), sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, baking powder & baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice mix. And chocolate chips, of course.
The actual composition of a pumpkin spice mix can vary between chefs. My mix of choice contains cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom (which adds an earthy, lemony zing). Feel free to substitute ginger or allspice for the cloves, nutmeg, and/or cardamom as you prefer. Or, just use two teaspoons of your favorite pumpkin pie spice instead. Your call.
Even though this pumpkin cake recipe contains ¾ cup (170 grams) of sourdough discard, the robust flavors in this cake will cover the subtle tang that the discard brings to the recipe. The starter is merely there as a way to not waste it.
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Adding a glaze to the bundt cake just makes it look prettier. Powdered sugar and milk are what gives a glaze its body and sweetness, while the those pumpkin spices just emphasize who's in charge here.
How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Cake
Since this pumpkin bundt cake recipe is a version of a quick bread, all you have to do is mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then stir them together to make batter. Put the batter in a baking pan of your choosing, and you're ready to bake. Easy peasy.
Step 1: Prepare the batter
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and the pumpkin spice mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom (photo 1).
Whisk together the pumpkin, starter discard, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla (photo 2).
Add in the flour mixture and stir until evenly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips (photo 3).
Step 2: Bake the cakes
Spray a small 6-cup bundt pan with baking spray, making sure to get inside the decorative grooves. To be safe from overfilling the bundt pan, spray a mini loaf pan with baking spray as well.
Transfer the batter to the bundt pan, filling no more than ⅔ full. Use the remainder to make a small loaf in the mini loaf pan. Place the pans on a half sheet baking pan to ease the transfer to the oven. Bake the cakes at 350˚F for 40 to 50 minutes for the bundt pan and the small loaf for 20 to 25 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (photo 4).
Remove the cakes from the oven and cool them in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes before turning them out of the pan back onto the rack. Allow the cake to finish cooling completely.
Step 3: Glaze the cakes
Sifting the powdered sugar before making the glaze helps to keep it smooth. I know I don't like to waste time chasing powdered sugar lumps, do you? My sifter allows me to sift directly into an attached bowl.
Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and whisk until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, stir to combine. Adjust the consistency by adding 1 teaspoon of milk or more sifted powdered sugar as needed (photo 5).
Drizzle the glaze onto the cakes (photo 6). Allow the glaze to set before serving.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Sure! You can substitute ½ cup (57 grams) chopped walnuts and/or ½ cup (85 grams) raisins (or other dried fruit) instead of the chocolate chips (but really, why?).
There are several details you need to pay attention to in order to get that bundt cake out of its pan perfectly. First, you must be sure to grease the pan really well. Like, in every nook and cranny (in the grooves, the center pole, and the outer walls). I use a baking spray that contains flour, and I'm able to really coat the inside of the pan everywhere. This is especially important if you have a bundt pan with an intricate design.
After the cake comes out of the oven, you must wait at least 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Warm cake is quite tender and firms up as it cools. Flip it over too soon, and the cake will just tear.
And when you are flipping over the pan, flip it quickly, well supported. By that I mean place a cooling rack over the top of the bundt pan and flip them together quickly. Don't just try and gently turn over the pan without any support.
This cake will keep on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days and about 5 days when refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze the cake wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before bringing it to room temperature to serve.
Pro Tips: Don't overfill the pan
This recipe makes a little more cake batter than a 6-cup bundt pan can hold. That's why I warn you to not overfill the bundt pan, just fill it ⅔ full and make a mini bread with the remainder.
If you do use all the batter in the bundt pan, place it on quarter sheet baking pan to catch any overflows while baking. Plus, you might need to level the cake before flipping it over (the benefit is that you get to enjoy the trimmings!)
Pretty enough for any holiday table
This Sourdough Pumpkin Cake is cute and tasty, bursting with pumpkin spice flavor and rich chocolate chunks. The yummy pumpkin spice glaze takes it to a whole other level, elevating it to a cake nice enough to be served at a Thanksgiving or other holiday table.
Remember, you can make it full-sized if you're feeding more than 8 people. And here are some alternative presentation styles you can use:
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread: Use a 9- x 5-inch standard loaf pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes.
- Mini Sourdough Pumpkin Breads: Use four mini loaf pans, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Full-Size Sourdough Pumpkin Cake: Double the recipe (use the entire can of pumpkin purée), and bake it in a full-sized 10- to 12- cup bundt pan or 2 standard loaf pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
If you're looking for something to sip alongside your cake slice, try this homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. Warm pumpkin goodness all around! Yum...
Will my Father-in-law let me in the door if I show up with this pumpkin cake in hand? Time will tell, but my gut feeling is I’m set for the next 35 years!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
When you maintain a sourdough starter, you have a dilemma. What do you do with your unfed sourdough starter discard? I've got lots of suggestions for sweet and savory ways to use your fed sourdough starter and the sourdough starter discard.
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Recipe
Sourdough Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Pumpkin Spice mix
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, see Recipe Notes
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, see Recipe Notes
- ½ 15-ounce can pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup sourdough starter discard, unfed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces chocolate chips, (1 cup)
For the glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, to achieve desired consistency (adjust as necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray a small 6-cup bundt pan with baking spray, making sure to get inside the decorative grooves. To be safe from overfilling the bundt pan, spray a mini loaf pan with baking spray as well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and the Pumpkin Spice mix
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, starter discard, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add in the flour mixture and stir until evenly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, no more than ⅔ full. Use the remainder to make a small loaf in a mini loaf pan. Place the pans on a half sheet baking pan to ease the transfer to the oven. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 minutes (the small loaf will take 20 to 25 minutes), until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and cool them in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes before turning them out of the pan back onto the rack. Allow the cakes to finish cooling completely.
- For the glaze: Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl (this helps prevent lumps in the finished glaze). Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and whisk until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, stir to combine. Adjust the consistency by adding 1 teaspoon of milk or more sifted powdered sugar as needed.
- Drizzle the glaze onto the cakes. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
- This cake will keep on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days and about 5 days when refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze the cake wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before bringing it to room temperature to serve.
Notes
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread: Use a 9- x 5-inch standard loaf pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes.
- Mini Sourdough Pumpkin Breads: Use four mini loaf pans, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Full-Size Sourdough Pumpkin Cake: Double the recipe (use the entire can of pumpkin purée), and bake it in a full-sized 10-12 cup bundt pan or 2 standard loaf pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
SJ says
Delicious and moist recipe. i like walnuts so i added a 1/2 cup of walnuts as well. Thank you for sharing!
Tammy Spencer says
I'm so glad you liked the recipe and adapted it to your tastes! 😉