Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips is a soft, moist, and fragrant Italian ciambellone that perfectly captures the cozy flavors of fall. When pumpkins are ripe and plenty, there’s nothing better than baking a warm and comforting cake like this one.
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is simple yet special. It’s perfect as a homemade dessert, an easy breakfast, or a quick afternoon snack. Enjoy a slice with a cup of tea, a glass of warm milk, or a rich Italian espresso. Every bite combines the sweetness of pumpkin, the crunch of Amaretti cookies, and the irresistible taste of chocolate.
Made with creamy pumpkin purée — naturally sweet and smooth — this Italian Pumpkin Bundt Cake is light and dairy-free, with no butter or milk. The texture is incredibly soft, and the flavor gets even better the next day.
So let’s discover step by step how to make this delicious Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips, a traditional Italian dessert that will fill your kitchen with an amazing autumn aroma!
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Ingredients
Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Servings: 8
Doses for a 22 cm (9 inch) bundt cake pan
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 160 g (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 80 ml (6 tablespoons) canola oil (or sunflower oil)
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 500 g (1.1 pound) pumpkin pulp, cooked and well-drained (net weight)
- 100 g (10 tablespoons) dark chocolate chips
- About 15 amaretti cookies - make your own with our recipe for amaretti or try these Amaretti Cookies by Lazzaroni
- 150 g (1 cup) "00" flour
- 16 g (4 teaspoons) baking powder
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- MIXER: For this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe we opted for an electric stand mixer that really is a great help for a perfect Pumpkin Ciambellone. We recommend the KitchenAid, but there are other really great brands. It's essential in this recipe to add the ingredients always stirring to mix them quickly. You can also make Italian Pumpkin Ciambella with Amaretti and Chocolate chips with an electric hand mixer.
- CHOPPER: An electric chopper is also useful for this recipe, to chop Amaretti cookies.
- CAKE PAN: We chose a bundt cake pan, which looks a bit like the shape of a pumpkin. But of course you can use the cake mold you prefer. The doses indicated are for a 22 cm (9 inch) bundt cake pan.
- CAKE DOME: Finally, very useful to preserve the softness of this cake, is a Cake Stand with Dome Cover.
Instructions
Make the Dough
Step 1) - Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, just until the pumpkin softens and releases some of its liquid.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a bowl, and mash the pumpkin with a fork until smooth. Let it cool completely before using.
Step 2) - Finely chop or crush the Amaretti cookies using a food chopper or rolling pin. Set aside.
Step 3) - In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, and frothy.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the oil and mix until fully incorporated
Step 4) - Add the grated orange zest, the crushed Amaretti cookies, and the cooled pumpkin purée to the batter. Continue mixing until everything is well combined.
Step 5) - Finally, add the flour and baking powder, mixing just until smooth. Fold in the dark chocolate chips with a spatula.
Baking the Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Step 6) - Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Pour the batter into the pan and level the surface with a spatula.
Step 7) - Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 8) - Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Then carefully remove it from the mold and transfer it to a wire rack.
Allow the Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips to cool completely before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, and enjoy this soft, fragrant Italian cake with a cup of coffee or tea.
Storage
Store your Pumpkin Bundt Cake at room temperature for up to 4 or 5 days. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap or keep it under a cake dome to lock in all its softness and flavor. Every slice will taste just as fresh and moist as when it came out of the oven!
Variations
Here are a few delicious ways to customize your Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips:
Almond Flour: You can replace the Amaretti cookies with the same amount of almond flour. The cake will turn out a bit less sweet and with a milder, more delicate flavor - still deliciously soft and fragrant.
Spices: For extra warmth and aroma, add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter. These spices pair beautifully with both pumpkin and almonds, enhancing the cozy fall flavor of this Italian ciambellone.
Rum or Liqueur: If your cake isn’t meant for children, add two tablespoons of rum for a lovely boozy touch. You can also replace the orange zest with an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier for a richer, more aromatic flavor.
Tips
To make the perfect Pumpkin Bundt Cake, it’s important to use pumpkin with firm, non-watery flesh. Not all pumpkins are suitable for baking. Choose sugar pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins or sweet pumpkins), which are small, round, and naturally sweet.
Some of the best varieties include Autumn Gold, Baby Pam, New England Pie Pumpkin, Ghost Rider, Lumina, Fairy Tale, and Cinderella.
In Italy, the most popular types are the Mantuan pumpkin and the Delica pumpkin, especially in Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. These pumpkins have a dry, sweet, and slightly floury texture that makes them perfect for both sweet and savory dishes.
In this recipe, we roast the pumpkin for a few minutes before mashing it. This helps remove excess moisture and gives the cake a better texture.
If you’re confident that your pumpkin is already firm and dry, you can also use it raw: cut it into cubes, blend it with the oil until smooth, and add the pumpkin purée directly to your cake batter.
More Italian Pumpkin Recipes
If you love pumpkin desserts and savory dishes, try these other traditional Italian pumpkin recipes from our kitchen:
- Rustic Italian Pumpkin Cake – A soft and moist cake made with pumpkin and amaretti, perfect for fall.
- Pumpkin Risotto (Risotto alla Zucca) – Creamy, comforting, and full of authentic Italian flavor.
- Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi – Soft, pillowy gnocchi made with fresh pumpkin purée.
- Pumpkin Gelato – A light, creamy Italian gelato that captures all the flavors of autumn.
FAQs
Yes, you can! Canned pumpkin purée works perfectly if you don’t have fresh pumpkin. Just make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices. You’ll need about 2 cups (500 g) of pumpkin purée for this recipe.
Absolutely! Once completely cooled, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours — it will still be soft and delicious.
Recipe Card
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti and Chocolate
Ingredients
- 3 eggs - at room temperature
- 160 g brown sugar - ¾ cup
- 80 ml vegetable oil - 6 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 500 g pumpkin pulp (weight net of waste) - 1.1 pound
- 100 g dark chocolate chips - 10 tablespoons
- Amaretti cookies - about 15
- 150 g all purpose flour - 1 cup
- 16 g baking powder - 4 teaspoons
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, just until the pumpkin softens and releases some of its liquid.
- Remove from the oven, transfer to a bowl, and mash the pumpkin with a fork until smooth. Let it cool completely before using.
- Finely chop or crush the Amaretti cookies using a food chopper or rolling pin. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, and frothy.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the oil and mix until fully incorporated
- Add the grated orange zest, the crushed Amaretti cookies, and the cooled pumpkin purée to the batter. Continue mixing until everything is well combined.
- Finally, add the flour and baking powder, mixing just until smooth. Fold in the dark chocolate chips with a spatula.
Baking the Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- When all the ingredients are combined, stop the mixer. Pour the mixture into a 22 cm (9 inch) bundt cake pan, greased with oil and floured.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Then carefully remove it from the mold and transfer it to a wire rack.Allow the Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips to cool completely before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, and enjoy this soft, fragrant Italian cake with a cup of coffee or tea.
Kate says
Me again - I found amaretti but they’re the soft ones, “falcone amaretti morbid d’Abruzzo.” Would they work?
Silvana Nava says
Hi again!
For the Falcone amaretti morbidi d’Abruzzo, they’re lovely, but they’re too soft for this recipe. The cake needs the crunchy amaretti, because they add texture and that slightly bitter almond taste that balances the chocolate perfectly.
If you want, you can let the soft ones dry out a bit in the oven at a very low temperature (about 100°C / 210°F for 10–15 minutes), then use them — that will work great!
Kate says
Good morning from Canada Sylvana! I’ve only got ground almonds, not amaretti; how much, by weighh hh, should I use? Many thanks! PS we made your stale bread chocolate cake yesterday and it was fabulous:)
Silvana Nava says
Hi Kate!
Good morning to you too from Italy! I'm so glad you liked the stale bread chocolate cake — thank you!
If you only have ground almonds, you can use about 80 grams (a little less than 1 cup) to replace the crushed amaretti. The flavor will be slightly different, less intense and aromatic, but still delicious.
Kiki Magner says
simple and flavorful cake. I added one teaspoon of vanilla, pinch of salt and almost doubled the chocolate chips. haha, couldn't help myself! Thanks for a keeper pumpkin cake recipe!