Recipe by Mark Bittman on November 12, 2025
- Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon and chocolate together in a small bowl and keep at hand.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°F.
- Coat the interior of a 12-cup Bundt pan with baker’s spray or butter it, dust with flour and tap out excess.
- Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the oil and both sugars together on medium speed for a couple of minutes to blend well—the mixture should look slushy, like wet sand.
- Still beating on medium, and scraping the bowl and beater(s) early and often, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute after each one goes in. The mix will continue to look iffy until that last egg is in and then, as if by magic, it will become satiny.
- Reduce the mixer speed and blend in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.
- Turn the mixer off, add one-third of the dry ingredients and pulse the mixer on and off to get the blending going and to help prevent the counter from getting showered with flour.
- Working on low speed, mix until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Turn off the mixer, scrape and add half of the remaining dry ingredients. Pulse, mix on low, stop and scrape again, then add the last of the dry ingredients, mixing on low until fully blended. Give everything a few last turns with a flexible spatula.
- Scrape one-third to one-half of the batter into the pan and smooth it with the spatula.
- Spoon the cocoa swirl over the batter—you can try to make an even layer and prevent the swirl from touching the sides of the pan, but it’s almost impossible, so relax.
- Add the rest of the batter—it will only half fill the pan, but it will rise considerably in the oven.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is beautifully puffed, is cracked around the top and pulls away from the sides of the pan when gently tugged. A tester poked into the center of the cake should come out clean—make sure you don’t hit the gooey swirl.
- Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Once the cake is cool, you can dust it with confectioners’ sugar, or you can glaze or ice it.