This bundt cake is moist, pumpkin rich, studded with 2 cups of dried fruit and nuts, with a splash o’ rum, a hearty heap o’ cinnamon and topped with an orange-cinnamon glaze—what’s not to like?!  I’ve been making this cake since I cut the recipe out of a newspaper in the 1980s, so it’s a tried and true seasonal favorite.

(Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished and unsliced Bundt cake. This picture is of a few leftover slices. So sorry. I bake and share good cakes, I don’t take good pictures of cakes.)

Bundt cakes serve a lot of people, so invite the neighbors over for coffee and cake or take it to your next potluck or family dinner. Call an impromptu get-together for a few neighbors or friends. It’s a fun thing to do, and there’s not too much stress if you do it on-the-spur-of-the-moment with a just baked Bundt cake. While the cake is baking–or after you have taken it out of the oven and you know it’s a success!–send a text, “Hi Neighbors/friends/family, I’ve baked a cake, and I can’t eat it all myself. Can you stop by for coffee and a slice of cake between x and y PM today?  Stay for 10 minutes, stay for 30, or stay for the whole hour. Come as you are. Just stop by and so we can enjoy a few minutes together. Hope to see you soon. Let me know! ”  See how easy that is? 

Fruity Pumpkin Bundt Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1½ cup vegetable oil OR ¾ cup applesauce plus ¾ cup of vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons dark rum—the rum flavor is not very pronounced, so if you want a stronger rum flavor, use some rum extract for part of the rum 🙂
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon—yes, 2 tablespoons—it works, and isn’t overpowering, promise!
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel—optional
• 2 cups dried fruit—last time I used raisins, chopped dried cherries, and diced dried apricots. Use any dried fruit that appeals to you, or that you have on hand.
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I’m not a nut-lover. I substitute 1 cup diced chopped and peeled Granny Smith apple for the nuts and haven’t had any issues with the extra moisture from the apples.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°, and spray a 10″ bundt pan with a baking spray, or butter and flour it.
2. Mix pumpkin, oil, applesauce and sugar together with an electric mixer.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in rum.
4. In another bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and optional grated orange zest.
5. In a third bowl combine the dried fruit, and the nuts or chopped apple. Sprinkle 1 tablespoonful of the flour mixture over the dried fruit mixture and stir to combine, then set aside.
6. Add remaining flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and beat well.
7. Stir flour-dusted dried fruit, nuts or chopped apple into pumpkin-flour mixture.
8. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake in preheated 350° oven for approximately 1 hour. Check with a toothpick. It should come out clean, or with just one or two dried crumbs on it.
9. Remove cake from oven when done, cool for 3-5 minutes, then turn out to a baking rack to cool completely.
10. When cool, drizzle with cinnamon-orange glaze.

CINNAMON-ORANGE GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract
• 1-2 tablespoons dark rum (I found 2T of rum to be a bit much)

1. Beat all ingredients together until smooth, then drizzle over cooled cake.

Now, invite some friends over, or not . . . , and enjoy your Fruity Pumpkin Bundt Cake to welcome in Fall! Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today