If you’ve ever had Chocoflan—that magic cake where the layers trade places in the oven—this is the pumpkin version. It’s part flan, part cake, and full of fall flavor. The caramel bakes into a glossy sauce, the flan stays custardy, and the pumpkin cake is soft and spiced. There are a few moving parts, but each piece comes together easily.
Here are the ingredients needed for this Pumpkin Flan Bundt Cake recipe.
Canned Pumpkin: The soul of this recipe—pumpkin adds natural sweetness, moisture, and plenty of fall flavor. Be sure to use 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Creates the silky texture and rich sweetness in the flan layer. It helps the custard set creamy instead of dense.
Granulated Sugar: A simple ingredient, granulated sugar is the only item needed to make the caramel. Once baked and flipped out of the pan, it turns into a glossy caramel sauce. It also adds a slightly bitter depth of flavor that balances the sweetness.
Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix: The secret shortcut that makes this dessert a breeze. It is a beautiful contrast to the luscious flan.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Whole milk, large eggs, vanilla, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and baking spray with flour.
Here’s a quick look at how to prepare Pumpkin Flan Bundt Cake. See recipe below for full instructions.
Spray a 15-cup fluted tube cake pan (be sure to use cooking spray with flour) and set it inside a large roasting pan. It is a good idea to verify that your cake pan holds 15-cups, there are many different sizes of fluted tube cake pans.
Melt sugar in a heavy saucepan until amber colored. Pour into the fluted tube pan and let it cool while preparing the rest of the cake.
Mix sweetened condensed milk, milk, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, and spice until smooth.
Beat the cake mix, butter, eggs, milk, pumpkin, and spice for 2 minutes. Pour on top of the caramel.
Gently spoon flan mixture on top of the cake batter. Tent with foil, bake in a water bath for a total of 70 to 80 minutes.
Cool to room temp, refrigerate at least 2 hours, then warm the pan in hot water and invert onto a rimmed serving plate.
To properly store Pumpkin Flan Bundt Cake, follow these simple tips.
Wrap leftover cake in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
We do not recommend freezing leftover Pumpkin Flan Bundt Cake as the flan will not hold up to the freezing process.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray a 15-cup fluted tube cake pan with baking spray with flour (don't forget the center post). Place cake pan inside of a large roasting pan.
Heat granulated sugar in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan (using a pan with a light-colored bottom will make it easier to see when the caramel reaches the right color) over medium heat without stirring. Once the sugar begins to melt, stir with a soft, heatproof spatula until the mixture goes from opaque and grainy to shiny, slightly translucent, and amber in color. Immediately pour caramel into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in blender, add the Flan ingredients. Cover and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat all Cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed for 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour the cake batter over the caramel in the cake pan; spread evenly with a soft spatula.
Use a large spoon to gently spoon the flan mixture over the top of the cake batter.
Lightly spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and loosely tent over the cake pan. Carefully transfer the roasting pan, with the cake pan in it, to the oven. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches 1-inch up the side of the cake pan.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for another 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the roasting pan to a cooling rack. Cool completely in the cake pan on a cooling rack, about 2 hours. Loosely tent the pan with foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until completely chilled.
Once completely chilled, place the cake pan back in the roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches 3 inches up the side of the cake pan. Let sit for about 30 minutes to help soften the caramel. Run a thin metal spatula around the inside and outside edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a large serving plate with a rimmed edge to hold the caramel. (It’s okay if some caramel remains at the bottom of the cake pan.) Store leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Use a fluted tube cake pan with a simple design—more intricate designs may be difficult to unmold.
Don’t skip the water bath. The hot water helps to gently cook the flan and keep it silky. Carefully add the water to the roasting pan after you’ve set the roasting pan in the oven to avoid any spills.
Chill completely before unmolding the cake. This cake needs time to set so the layers hold together. A couple hours in the fridge—or overnight—makes all the difference.
