This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is a large, moist pumpkin cake filled with milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and plenty of cinnamon. It bakes in a Bundt pan and is finished with a simple cream cheese drizzle once completely cool.

The pumpkin purée and oil give this moist pumpkin Bundt cake a tender crumb, while the chocolate chips melt into little pockets throughout the cake and the walnuts add some crunch. This is a substantial pumpkin Bundt cake recipe that makes 10 generous slices, so it works well when you need a fall dessert for Thanksgiving, a potluck, or a family gathering.

If you still have pumpkin left after baking, my Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins are another way to use pumpkin purée with a completely different texture and a cream cheese center.

Quick Answer

This pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake is an oil-based pumpkin cake made with canned pumpkin purée, cinnamon, milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and walnuts. The finished cake has a moist, substantial crumb and is topped with a simple cream cheese glaze or drizzle.

I grew up eating more squash than pumpkin. However, we would always find some use for the pumpkin carved for Halloween. Did you know that giant pumpkins are just as good for puree as small-sized pie pumpkins? Just remove the seeds, pump them, and cut them into cubes. Then, cook them as you would for mashed potatoes. Smush them all up after cooking, and you have a high-protein food source without wasting garden produce. 

This is the kind of cake I like when I want something that looks finished without decorating a layer cake. The Bundt pan creates most of the shape for you, and the cream cheese drizzle is simply spooned over the cooled cake.

If you love a good recipe for fall treats, try our mini-baked pumpkin donuts. They are soft and full of pumpkin flavor.  

Why You Will Love This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake.

Perfect for Sharing: This Bundt cake is generously sized and ideal for gatherings, potlucks, or family dinners. Its large size ensures plenty to go around, making it an excellent choice for feeding a crowd or saving leftovers for later.

Irresistible Flavor Combination: The warm, spiced flavor of pumpkin, the sweetness of chocolate chips, and the crunch of walnuts create a delightful mix of textures and tastes. The addition of a creamy cheese drizzle on top adds a rich, tangy finish that perfectly complements the cake’s sweetness, making each bite incredibly satisfying.

Simple Yet Impressive: Despite its show-stopping appearance and complex flavors, this Bundt cake is easy to make. The straightforward recipe allows bakers of all skill levels to create a beautiful and delicious dessert that looks and tastes like it took hours to prepare.

No Complicated Decorating: The Bundt pan provides the shape, while the cream cheese drizzle gives the cake a simple finished look.

​How To Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Start by thoroughly preparing your Bundt pan. Grease the center tube as well as every ridge and crevice around the outside of the pan, then lightly dust it with flour. Even if your pan has a non-stick coating, this extra step is worthwhile with a large pumpkin cake because there are so many decorative surfaces where the cake can stick.

Side note: If you have a National Grocers (Canada) near you, they carry a supersized can of this fantastic fall ingredient for $19.99! What a deal. It can be packaged and frozen to bake other great treats throughout the season.

This recipe makes a large cake, so use a generously sized Bundt pan. Bundt pan capacities vary, and my original recipe did not record the exact cup capacity. The important thing is that the pan has enough room for the cake to rise without overflowing.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir them together well so the leavening and cinnamon are evenly distributed before adding the wet ingredients.

In a second bowl, beat the eggs with the white sugar until the mixture becomes pale yellow.

Add the neutral oil and mix until combined. Then blend in the pumpkin purée until the wet mixture looks smooth and evenly orange.

Use plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will change the balance of the cake.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and gently fold them together. Scrape around the bottom and sides of the bowl so you do not leave pockets of dry flour.

The batter for this chocolate chip pumpkin Bundt cake is substantial rather than thin. Stop mixing once the flour has disappeared and the batter is evenly combined. There is no advantage to continuing to beat the batter once that point is reached.

Fold in the milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and walnut pieces just until they are evenly distributed.

Spoon or pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the surface so the cake sits evenly in the pan.

Bake at 350°F for about 60 minutes.

Do not rely only on the timer because Bundt pans are deep. Insert a long cake tester or skewer into the thickest portion of the cake. Also test close to the center tube, where an underbaked section can sometimes hide.

The cake is ready when the tester comes out without wet batter attached. If it still looks wet after 60 minutes, leave the cake in the oven for a few additional minutes and test again.

Let the baked cake cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes. Then carefully invert it onto a wire rack or cake plate.

If the bottom of the cake rose unevenly above the pan and you want the finished Bundt cake to sit completely level, you can trim that surface with a cake knife before turning it over.

Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the cream cheese drizzle.

How To Make The Cream Cheese Drizzle

Place the softened cream cheese in a small mixing bowl.

Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined.

Add the cream or milk gradually, about one spoonful at a time, until the frosting becomes smooth enough to drizzle over the cake.

You are looking for a cream cheese glaze consistency that will run slowly over the ridges rather than disappearing straight down the sides.

Spoon the drizzle over the top of the cooled Bundt cake and allow it to run naturally down the fluted edges.

For a simpler finish, you can skip the cream cheese frosting and dust the cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar instead.

Ingredients:

The ingredients are straightforward, but a few choices make a noticeable difference in this cake.

All-Purpose Flour: Three cups give this large cake enough structure to hold the pumpkin, oil, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Measure carefully rather than packing flour heavily into the cup.

Pumpkin Purée: Use two cups of 100% pure pumpkin purée. Canned pure pumpkin is convenient because its thick, consistent texture works particularly well in this cake. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.

Large Eggs: Four eggs provide structure and help hold this large, moist cake together.

Neutral Oil: Oil keeps the pumpkin cake moist without competing with the cinnamon, pumpkin, and chocolate flavors. Vegetable, canola, or another mild baking oil works well.

White Granulated Sugar: Provides the sweetness for the cake without adding another strong flavor.

Baking Powder: Works with the baking soda to give this substantial batter the lift it needs.

Baking Soda: Part of the leavening system for the cake. Use fresh baking soda rather than trying to replace it with additional baking powder.

Ground Cinnamon: This recipe is deliberately cinnamon-forward rather than heavily pumpkin-spiced. Three teaspoons provide warm fall flavor while still letting pumpkin and chocolate remain noticeable.

Salt: Balances the sugar and chocolate.

Milk Chocolate Chips: Add smaller pockets of sweet, creamy chocolate.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Give the cake a deeper chocolate flavor to balance the sweeter milk chocolate.

Walnut Pieces: Add nutty flavor and crunch throughout the moist pumpkin crumb. Smaller chopped pieces distribute better through each slice than large walnut halves.

For The Cream Cheese Glaze

Cream Cheese: Use softened cream cheese so it blends smoothly with the sugar.

Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the glaze.

Cream Or Milk: Thins the cream cheese mixture until it can be drizzled. Add it gradually because it is easier to thin frosting than to correct one that becomes too runny.

Substitutions And Add-Ins For Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This recipe allows a few simple adjustments, but I would avoid changing several structural ingredients at once.

All-Purpose Flour: A 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour may work, but the original cake was developed with regular all-purpose flour and the finished texture may differ.

Pumpkin Purée: Homemade pumpkin purée can be used if it has a similar thick consistency to canned pumpkin. Butternut or other winter squash purées are also possible, although the flavor will be slightly different.

Large Eggs: Four eggs contribute a significant amount of structure to this large Bundt cake. I would not replace all four eggs unless using an egg-free version of the recipe that has been specifically tested.

Neutral Oil: Vegetable, canola, sunflower, or another mild-flavored oil can be used. Coconut oil will give the cake a somewhat different flavor and behaves differently when chilled.

White Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar can change both the moisture and flavor of a cake this large, so I would keep the white sugar for the recipe as written rather than replacing the full amount.

Baking Powder: Keep the baking powder as written rather than replacing it with additional baking soda.

Baking Soda: Keep the baking soda as written. Baking soda and baking powder do different jobs and are not simple one-for-one replacements.

You can also use the same quantity of Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend if you want ginger, nutmeg, and other warm spices in addition to cinnamon. That variation moves the flavor closer to a traditional pumpkin spice Bundt cake or pumpkin spice cake with chocolate chips, while the original recipe remains cinnamon-forward.

Walnut Pieces: Pecans are the closest simple substitute. The walnuts can also be left out entirely.

Milk Chocolate Chips: Replace them with additional semi-sweet chocolate chips if you only want to buy one kind.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips can be used for a stronger chocolate flavor, or use a total of one-half cup of milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cake.

Cream Or Milk: Either works for thinning the cream cheese glaze. Add it a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.

Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions

Tip #1: Grease Every Part Of The Bundt Pan: Pay particular attention to the center tube and decorative ridges. One dry patch can leave a piece of cake stuck to the pan when you invert it.

Tip #2: Do Not Overmix The Finished Batter: Scrape thoroughly enough to remove dry pockets of flour, but stop once everything is combined. Continued mixing is not needed.

Tip #3: Check More Than One Spot For Doneness: Test the thickest part of the cake as well as the area close to the center tube. A large Bundt cake can be baked around the edges while still being underdone in a deeper area.

Tip #4: Give The Cake A Short Rest Before Inverting: Let the cake sit for about 5–10 minutes after coming out of the oven. That gives the structure a chance to settle without leaving the cake sitting in the pan until completely cold.

Serving Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This pumpkin chocolate chip cake is substantial enough to serve without anything else. A slice works well with coffee, tea, or a glass of milk.

The pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate, walnuts, and cream cheese glaze also make it a useful Thanksgiving dessert when you want something other than another pie on the table.

For a fall dessert table, cut slightly smaller slices so people can sample more than one recipe. Pair it with Pumpkin Spice Scones for coffee or tea, or add my Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins if you want individual pumpkin bakes as well.

If you want a more formal pumpkin cake for a birthday or fall dinner, my Pumpkin Layer Cake uses pumpkin in a very different style of dessert.

For another large cake with both chocolate and walnuts, try my Double Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake With Walnuts.

How To Store Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Once the cream cheese glaze has been added, store the cake covered in the refrigerator.

An unfrosted pumpkin Bundt cake can be kept tightly covered at cool room temperature for up to five days.

Keep the cut surface covered as well. Once a slice has been removed, that exposed area dries faster than the intact outside of the cake.

For longer storage, wrap individual slices or the whole unfrosted cake tightly before freezing.

Freezing the cake before adding the cream cheese glaze makes it easier to wrap and protects the finish. Thaw it at room temperature, then add the glaze once the cake has fully thawed.

That also makes this a practical make-ahead pumpkin cake when you want part of your Thanksgiving or fall baking finished early.

More Pumpkin Recipes To Use Up Pumpkin Purée

If you have pumpkin left after making this cake, there are plenty of ways to use it without making another Bundt cake.

Soft Baked Pumpkin Donuts turn pumpkin purée into individual cake-style donuts.

Pumpkin Pie Filling From Scratch is useful when you want a more traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal With Pecan Crisp Topping gives leftover pumpkin a breakfast use instead.

You can also mix a batch of Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend to keep on hand for the rest of your fall baking.

A good Bundt cake does not need a lot of decorating to look finished. With this one, the pumpkin keeps the crumb moist, the two types of chocolate give you chocolate throughout the cake, and the walnuts add enough crunch to break up the soft texture.

The main things that matter are preparing the Bundt pan thoroughly, stopping the mixing once the flour is incorporated, checking the deep portions of the cake for doneness, and letting the cake cool completely before adding the cream cheese glaze.

If you make this with homemade pumpkin rather than canned pumpkin purée, what type of pumpkin or squash did you use, and did you need to drain it first?

Meet Amber

I’m the home cook and recipe creator behind A Cents For Cookery. I learned to cook growing up off-grid in Northern Ontario, where meals were made on a woodstove and preserving, baking, and making ingredients stretch were part of everyday life. Here I share practical family recipes, homemade baking, vintage-inspired cooking, and the kitchen knowledge I’ve picked up over the years to help you make the most of the food you have.

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