Quick Pumpkin Cake with Coffee Glaze

This bundt cake gets its pumpkin flavor and moist texture from a can of pumpkin puree stirred right into a spice cake mix. The cake mix already has the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove built in, so the pumpkin just amplifies what’s already there. It’s semi-homemade baking at its smartest.

The batter gets built in two stages. First, the cake mix, pumpkin, and two eggs get mixed together. Then the remaining eggs and a packet of whipped topping mix go in for three more minutes of beating. That topping mix isn’t just for the topping. Mixed into the batter, it adds lightness and a subtle richness that keeps the dense pumpkin from making the cake heavy.

The Kahlua coffee glaze is what makes this cake special. Melted butter, sifted powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of coffee liqueur whisked into a thin drizzle that runs down the ridges of the bundt pan. The coffee-pumpkin-spice combination tastes like fall in every bite.

Cool the cake completely before glazing. Warm cake melts the glaze and it pools at the bottom instead of clinging to the surface.

Kitchen Tips

• Grease and flour the bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every crevice. Bundt cakes stick easily
• The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Start checking at 45 minutes
• Cool 15 minutes in the pan before inverting. Too soon and it falls apart, too long and it sticks
• Add milk to the glaze a teaspoon at a time. You want it thick enough to drizzle but thin enough to flow

Variations

• Swap Kahlua for a tablespoon of strong brewed coffee for a non-alcoholic glaze
• Add a cup of chocolate chips to the batter for a pumpkin chocolate version
• Dust with powdered sugar instead of glaze for a simpler presentation