Starbucks has been touting its pumpkin latte for months, but I wait until Halloween is on the horizon and some of us are making Thanksgiving plans before I select my annual pumpkin recipe to share with you. This year, it’s a pretty Bundt cake. Moist with a nice crumb and the subtle taste of pumpkin complemented by the appropriate spices, it’s suitable for either holiday. If you want a cake that showcases pumpkin in its lovely simplicity, make the recipe without the espresso filling and use the cream-cheese glaze. But if you want some contrasting flavors, try adding the espresso filling and Kahlua topping. The filling adds a welcome hit of coffee that plays nicely with the sweetness of the glaze, and both shine against the mild, pumpkin flavor.

The cake requires only one bowl and, if made without the filling, is in the oven in about 10 minutes. You can make it at least a day before serving. Some think it’s actually better if the flavors have 24 hours to develop.

Pumpkin Bundt cake

Make in a nonstick, 6-cup Bundt pan. Adjusted for elevations of 7,000 feet and above.

Cake

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, spoon and level
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Espresso filling (optional)

• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso power
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder

Cream-cheese glaze (optional)

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2-4 teaspoons milk

Kahlua glaze (optional)

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 2 pinches salt
• 2-plus tablespoons Kahlua
• 1-plus tablespoon cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position. Generously grease your Bundt pan with a baking spray that contains flour and set it aside.

Combine the pumpkin, eggs, oil, both sugars and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed to blend well. On the mixer’s lowest speed, stir in the dry ingredients (flour through salt) until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly mixed. If you are using the espresso filling, set the bowl aside while you make it.

Make the espresso filling, if using: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl or one-cup measure and whisk until blended.

If you’re not using the filling, scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and level the top. If you’re using the filling, scrape half of the cake batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the filling over it, keeping it from touching the pan sides, scrape the remaining cake batter over the top and level it. Tap the pan on a counter so any air bubbles rise to the surface. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake’s center comes out clean, start checking after 30 minutes in the oven. The cake may develop cracks as it bakes; they won’t show once the cake is out of the pan.

Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cardboard cake circle or plate and remove the pan. Let it cool completely. At this point, the cake can be wrapped airtight and frozen or refrigerated until the next day.

Make the cream-cheese glaze, if using: Combine the cream cheese, butter and sugar in a small bowl, and whisk or beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and combined. Add the vanilla, spice and the smaller amount of milk and whisk/beat until combined. Add more milk until the consistency is thick but pourable, and drizzle on the cooled cake.

Make the Kahlua glaze, if using: Add the sugar, cocoa powder and salt to a small bowl or one-cup measure. Add 2 tablespoons Kahlua, 1 tablespoon cream and whisk until smooth. Test for taste and consistency (the glaze should be thick but pourable), and add more liquid or sugar as needed. Drizzle over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Editor’s note: This recipe is a variation of one published by King Arthur Flour.

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.