These cute Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes are made with my moist carrot cake and cream cheese frosting recipe. It’s the perfect dessert for this season to share with family and friends! And besides, it’s shaped like a pumpkin, so of course, it’s going to be adorable!
I have been on the hunt for a new, delicious recipe for Fall, and I can now say that the search is over because these pumpkin cakes are incredible. The taste of the sweet cream cheese frosting melts in your mouth along with the inviting flavor of carrot cake! You will be coming back for seconds (or thirds)!
Oh! How I love this time of year. The leaves are changing color, the weather is cooling down, and baking in the kitchen is more fun than before. This recipe is part of a blog hop, so scroll down to the bottom to check out more dessert recipes done by my sweet friends!
If you know me by now, then you might have guessed that I thoroughly enjoy baking and creating new recipes for my good friends and family. To join me on my baking journey, here are some of my latest recipes on the blog!
- Crumbl Sugar Cookie Recipe (copycat)
- Fudgy Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Italian Cream Cake with a Twist of Pumpkin
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Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes
I’m sure you’re wondering how I even came up with this idea of creating a mini pumpkin bundt cake. Here’s my story.
Long story short, I ordered a bundt cake from the company Nothing Bundt Cakes, and I fell in love with the mini dessert. After that, I wanted to try and recreate my mini cake but with a twist. So I decided to bake these treats and decorate them to look like pumpkins for this Fall.
It turned out perfectly, but I should warn you, it took me a while for these mini cakes to reach perfection, but in the end, it was well worth the work. So come on, and let’s pumpkin things up a bit!
Baking Tips
- Make sure to use Teflon mini bundt pans when baking. I find using this specific type of pan will create a nicely shaped bundt cake. I would also recommend purchasing a couple of these pans because you will most likely want to bake your cakes at the same time instead of waiting for the one pan to bake.
- Once you have the desired number of baking pans, cover the inside along with the middle of the pan with crisco. This way, the crisco allows the flour to stick to the pan. And also, when it comes time to taking out the cooked mini cakes, it is easier for them to come out of the pan.
- After covering the pan with crisco, you then cover the inside and middle with flour. This step helps in the end when it’s time to take the cakes out of the pan, because with flour, these treats will come out easier.
- When the timer goes off and it’s time to take the pan out of the oven, do so, and gently turn the pan upside down so the mini cakes can come out of the pan smoothly without worry of falling apart.
- If your mini cakes do not come out as easily as you had hoped, try taking a toothpick down the sides of each section of the pan to slowly let the cakes out of the pan. By doing this, you are separating the cake from the pan in hopes of the dessert coming out in one piece.
Tips on Shaping Into a Pumpkin
- First, horizontally cut the bundt cake in half and place to the side.
- Secondly, you want to pipe the cream cheese frosting between the the top half and the bottom half of your mini cake. Then place those cakes on sheets of parchment paper. Then place them in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden.
- After taking the mini cakes out of the fridge, pipe icing around the whole bundt cake. Afterwards, you will place the cakes in the fridge once again for a couple of hours to harden.
- Again, you will retrieve the cakes from the fridge and place them on saran wrap.
- Once your cakes are all placed on saran wrap, you will pull the wrap around the dessert to cover the entire cake, and then twist the saran wrap at the top to create a pumpkin shape.
- You will then use ribbon or yarn (it doesn’t matter) to create segments in the cake. Using the ribbon or yarn, you will create about 7 sections.
- Once the sections are put into place, you will then place your cakes in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to harden.
- Once cakes are retrieved from the refrigerator, shape the cake with your hands to create pumpkin curves. To make shaping easier, dip your fingers in a little bit of water, then place your hands on the icing to begin shaping your cake.
- After you have finished shaping your cake to your liking, place and real pumpkin stem on top. Then refrigerate them. Take them out about an hour before serving and enjoy!
Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cups carrots shredded
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ cup flour
- 2 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 9 real pumpkin stems you can use cinnamon sticks if you like
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Prepare mini-bundt pans. Grease and flour the inside of the bundt cakes form.
- Place wire whisk on the Kitchen Aid mixer.
- Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Add carrots and beat them together.
- Next, add eggs and beat until smooth.
- Now, alternate adding the flour and oil to the cake batter.
- Add salt, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, and nuts to the mixture. Beat well.
- Pour batter into pastry bags or a pancake squirter.
- Fill bundt pan about halfway to the top of the hole.
- Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.
- Take a toothpick and move along the edges between the cake and the pan. This will help loosen the cake from the pan.
- Turn the pan over and gently move the cake back and forth in the mold. And with your hand, gently try and pop out the cake from the pan.
- Place on cooling rack right side up.
Frosting
- Cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese.
- Slowly add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
- Beat until smooth.
- Place frosting in a pastry bag.
Constructing Pumpkins
- Cut the mini-bundt cakes in half. Place the top to the side.
- Pipe a layer of cream cheese frosting on your cake. Then place the top part back on the frosting layer.
- Place the cake on a piece of parchment paper.
- Pipe the top and sides of the cake with frosting. Then place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden.
- Cut a piece of saran wrap that is big enough to wrap the bundt cake. Once the frosting is firm, then remove it from the fridge and place the cake on top of a piece of saran wrap.
- Pull up the plastic wrap on all sides of the cake. Then bring the ends together at the top of the cake.
- Next, take your ribbon or yarn and place it along the bottom of the cake. Next, drape it up the sides. Then tie it at the top along with a knot. Repeat this three times, creating the segments of a pumpkin.
- Return the cake to the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Fill a glass with water. Once the frosting has hardened, remove the plastic wrap and smooth out the frosting with a wet finger. After sculpting your cake, place the pumpkin cake in the refrigerator to set one last time. Before serving, place a real pumpkin stem on the top of the cake. Serve cake at room temperature.
Nutrition
Can I Freeze The Cakes
Someone asked me over on Instagram if these cakes can be frozen. And my answer is yes! So, make sure the frosting is firm by placing them in the fridge, then wrap them in plastic wrap and then either in tin foil or a large plastic Ziploc bag. Then if you serve them for Thanksgiving, take them out about two to three hours before your meal and thaw them.
The only thing you don’t want to do is refreeze them. I guess the milk will develop some kind of bacteria from the refreezing.
Well, you’ve reached the end of the recipe! I hope you had fun creating these mini pumpkin bundt cakes because I sure did.
This dessert is guaranteed to make your heart (and stomach) happy during this Autumn season! Not only will these cakes make you happy, but they will fill your home with the mouthwatering smell of carrot cake and sweet cream cheese frosting.
Cheers, friends and have a great day!
13 Fabulous Fall Baking Recipes
The Most Amazing Pumpkin Sheet Cake – Twelve on Main
Fall Pear and Cranberry Tart – My 100 Year Old Home
Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes – Happy Happy Nester
Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Paint Me Pink
Old Fashioned Apple Crumble – Sincerely, Marie
Mini Pumpkin Spice Loaves with Cream Cheese Icing – Life Is Better At Home
How To Make Pumpkin Pie From Scratch – The DIY Mommy
Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Bars – Maison De Cinq
Maple Crumble Muffins with Maple Butter Glaze – Finding Lovely
Decadent Coconut Pecan German Chocolate Pie – Grace In My Space
Apple Butter Pecan Loaf – My Sweet Savannah
Chewy Molasses Cookies – Most Lovely Things
Easy Fall Apple Tart – Inspiration For Moms
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Rachelle Rubio says
Adorable, and they look like the perfect amount for dessert.
happyhappynester says
Rachelle,
It is the perfect amount for dessert and it’s so fun! Thanks for your sweet comment!
Coco in the Kitchen says
These are ADORABLE!
And I love that I don’t need molds for them!