A TABLE WORTH CELEBRATING · NATIONAL BUNDT DAY · NOVEMBER 15

Six cakes from our recipe collection, each with its own reason to gather around the table.

A Bundt pan gives a cake its own kind of ceremony: a ring of fluted ridges, a place for a glaze to settle, and enough slices to share. For National Bundt Day on November 15, we have gathered six recipes already in the Carter Family Recipes collection. There is pumpkin for the autumn table, carrot cake with a cream cheese center, a butter-soaked vanilla classic, chocolate and peanut butter, fresh apple and pecans, and one unexpected tomato spice cake.

Choose your cake

• 1. Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake
• 2. Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze
• 3. Kentucky Butter Cake
• 4. Chocolate–Peanut Butter Marble Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze
• 5. Fresh Apple Pecan Cake
• 6. Tomato Cake
• A few Bundt baking notes

1. Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Pumpkin, spice, and a simple sugar finish

Pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and chopped pecans turn a spice-cake-mix batter into an autumn cake with a tender crumb. A light dusting of confectioners’ sugar lets the fluted shape show. This is the convenient choice when you want a cake for the coffee table without making a separate glaze.

Before you bake: The recipe needs 18 1/4 ounces of dry cake mix. Check the package weight and supplement from another box if necessary; use the added ingredients in the recipe rather than the directions on the box.

View recipe: Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake →

2. Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

A cream cheese center and a citrus finish

Grated carrots, pecans, and warm spices give this cake plenty of character, while a ribbon of cream cheese filling makes each slice feel like an occasion. An orange cream cheese glaze brings a bright finish to the rich cake. Choose it when you want a centerpiece that reveals something lovely when it is cut.

Before you bake: Keep the filling away from the edges of the pan, as directed, so the carrot batter encloses it. The recipe starts at 350°F and finishes at 325°F under foil.

View recipe: Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze →

3. Kentucky Butter Cake

A buttery classic that welcomes an overnight rest

Vanilla and buttermilk give this cake a familiar, gently tangy flavor. Its distinguishing step comes after baking: a warm butter-and-sugar glaze is poured over the cake while it is still in the pan, soaking into holes made in the surface. There is no elaborate decoration to manage—just a rich cake ready for a thin slice and a cup of coffee.

Before you bake: This recipe calls for the glazed cake to cool completely in its pan before it is turned out. Follow that instruction rather than using the shorter cooling time given for the other cakes.

View recipe: Kentucky Butter Cake →

4. Chocolate–Peanut Butter Marble Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

Chocolate swirls, peanut butter, and salted caramel

Two batters—one with melted bittersweet chocolate, the other with creamy peanut butter—meet in a fluted tube pan. A gentle swirl creates a different pattern in every slice, and salted caramel glaze drapes over the ridges. It is a generous dessert for anyone drawn to the chocolate-and-peanut-butter pairing.

Before you bake: Alternate spoonfuls of the two batters and swirl gently; overmixing will blur the marbling. The recipe uses half the glaze on the cake and serves the remainder alongside.

View recipe: Chocolate–Peanut Butter Marble Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze →

5. Fresh Apple Pecan Cake

Grated apples, pecans, and warm cider sauce

Grated apples bring moisture throughout the crumb, while pecans, whole-wheat flour, and a little cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg give this cake an earthy autumn character. Applejack appears in both the batter and the buttery cider sauce. Serve a slice warm, with the sauce spooned over just before it reaches the table.

Before you bake: Grate the peeled apples rather than cutting them into chunks. This recipe contains applejack; choose another cake in the collection if you prefer a recipe without an alcoholic ingredient.

View recipe: Fresh Apple Pecan Cake →

6. Tomato Cake

The unexpected spice cake in the collection

Fresh tomato purée gives this cake its color and moisture, with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger setting the flavor in spice-cake territory. A little reserved purée also goes into the vanilla sugar glaze. It is an inviting choice for bakers who enjoy an unusual ingredient and a good conversation around the table.

Before you bake: Reserve the recipe’s 2 tablespoons of tomato purée for the glaze before mixing the cake batter. This cake uses fresh tomatoes, rather than canned tomato soup.

View recipe: Tomato Cake →

A few Bundt baking notes

Start with the pan size specified in the individual recipe. These cakes do not all use the same batter quantity or baking schedule, so a smaller decorative pan may not be an even swap. Grease the flutes and center tube carefully, then flour the pan when the recipe directs.

Cooling times matter, too. Several of these cakes rest briefly before turning out, while Kentucky Butter Cake cools completely in its pan after the glaze is added. Follow the directions for the cake you choose, and let cakes cool before applying finishes that are intended for a cool surface.

Choose one cake, set out small plates, and invite someone to share it. If coffee is part of your celebration, The Cappuccino Hour offers another reason to linger at the table.