Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake

When the weather begins to get colder, nothing is more comforting than the familiar flavors of pumpkin spiced drinks and treats. This layered Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake is perfect with a cup of coffee and great for dessert!

Sliced pumpkin pound cake with cream cheese ripple


 

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Don’t be fooled by the layers, this recipe is easier than it looks. To make it, you will need to get three bowls and make each layer separately.

Prepare your oven by preheating to 350 degrees and spray a bundt cake with nonstick cooking spray and let’s get started!

ingredients for pumpkin cream cheese pound cake

Ingredients for the pound cake layer, you will need:

  • Canned Pumpkin
  • Eggs
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Flour
  • Pumpkin Spice
  • Baking Powder

Start by using an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the pumpkin, eggs, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Lower the speed of the mixer, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

pumpkin pound cake batter in a mixing bowl

Pro-Tip – Be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the gluten to over develop which will result in a tough and chewy cake.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake Filling

Ingredients for the cream cheese filling, you will need:

  • Cream cheese
  • Sugar
  • Egg

Use an electric mixer on medium low speed and mix until smooth.

cream cheese filling in a bowl

Getting those beautiful layers may look complicated, but it’s super easy! Simply pour half the pound cake batter in the prepared pan. Carefully spoon the cream cheese layer in next, then top with the remaining batter. 

Baking the Perfect Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Bake for about an hour or until cooked through. This cake is dense, so don’t be surprised if it takes longer. If your cake begins to brown too quickly, you can cover with foil toward the end of baking time.

overhead of baked cream cheese pound cake

Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving platter. Cool completely.

To make the glaze, you will need:

Combine the ingredients until smooth. You can adjust the consistency by adding more or less milk. Pour around the cooled cake, in the center of the ring and allow the glaze to drip off the sides.

pumpkin cream cheese pound cake with icing on a cake plate

Pan Size & Storage Tips

This pumpkin cream cheese pound cake recipe uses a standard 10’ bundt pan. If you don’t have a 10’, don’t worry! You can still make this recipe in a 9 or 11 inch and it will turn out perfectly fine.

fork digging into a slice of pumpkin cream cheese pound cake

Because this cake contains cream cheese, you should put any leftovers in the fridge. I love a slice of this cake cold with a hot cup of coffee, but if you want it room temperature just pull it out about 30 minutes before you plan to enjoy it.

Alternatively, you can freeze it and thaw as needed.

Checking for Doneness

You will know when your pumpkin cream cheese pound cake is done when the top is cooked through and a knife inserted in the cake comes out mostly clean.

sliced pumpkin pound cake

The cream cheese layer will spread a bit on the knife, but the orange pumpkin batter should not spread when the knife is removed. You can also use a toothpick or actual cake tester.

Fresh vs Canned Pumpkin

For this recipe, it is OK to take a short cut and use store bought canned pumpkin. Just make sure to choose plain 100% pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.

fork with a bite of pumpkin pound cake

If you want to make your own puree, check out our complete guide to making your own puree from fresh pumpkin.

Gluten Free & Other Variations

I have experimented making this pumpkin pound cake recipe with a 1/1 gluten free flour replacement and while the texture was a bit more crumbly, it tasted just fine. So if you have food allergies, you can still make this dessert

close up cross section of pumpkin pound cake

If you do not care for pumpkin pie spice, or there is a particular spice you prefer to leave out you can adjust the spices as needed. Simply put, you will want to add 1-2 tablespoons worth of spice to the cake layer and you can adjust that to your personal taste.

This recipe tastes great using only cinnamon as well, but pumpkin pie spice gives it that well-rounded classic fall flavor.

pumpkin cream cheese pound cake for pinterest

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake

4.42 from 29 votes
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake is the perfect fall treat with layers of pumpkin spiced cake, cream cheese filling and an easy vanilla glaze!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Pumpkin Pound Cake Layer:

Cream Cheese Layer:

Glaze:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a bundt pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, prepare the pound cake batter by mixing the pumpkin, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
    pumpkin pound cake batter
  • Lower the speed and add in the flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking powder. Mix just until incorporated. Set aside.
  • Prepare the filling in a separate bowl by mixing the cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer.
    cream cheese filling
  • Pour half of the pound cake batter into the bundt cake.
    how to make pumpkin cream cheese pound cake
  • Gently spoon the cream cheese filling layer into the pan and top with the remaining batter.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until cooked through. Cool completely before glazing.
  • Prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, cream cheese and milk until desired consistency is achieved. Pour over bundt cake and allow to set before serving.
  • If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.

Notes

*approximately 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree 

Nutrition

Calories: 879 kcal, Carbohydrates: 117 g, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 43 g, Saturated Fat: 30 g, Cholesterol: 142 mg, Sodium: 169 mg, Potassium: 376 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 76 g, Vitamin A: 8906 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 143 mg, Iron: 4 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 879
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin cream cheese pound cake, pumpkin pound cake
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
pumpkin cream cheese pound cake recipe instructions
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

Read More About Jessica

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

  1. I made this yummy cake! After baking, it looks like the filling separated from the cake inside (there is space between the layers). Any ideas why? Also, the cake portion is not as moist. Maybe I over mixed the batter- but do you think I should use slightly less flour? Also to kick up the flavor, should I use more pumpkin pie spice? Many thanks!

    1. You can surely use Pumpkin Pie Spice- I’m thinking maybe it sat in the pan for too long and essentially steamed? How long did you let it cool until you flipped it?

  2. Hello-this looks amazing, but you did not note if the pans needs to be greased or greased and floured. I presume since you do not mention it, it does not need any grease or grease, but hesitate to waste the ingredients cooking this if it gets stuck in the pan.

  3. 5 stars
    This cake looks amazing! One of my favourite fall flavours, so I am SO going to try this soon! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    I love the photo if this pound cake and even though I am looking at it on the computer, I get the feeling it would smell AMAZING!! Yum, love the swirl of icing right in the middle and the way the cooking makes the top of the cake open up to release the delicious aroma of the pumpkin. Can’t wait to give this a go!

  5. 5 stars
    I absolutely love this pound cake. The fall flavors are perfect and I cant say enough about the cream cheese in the middle, yum!