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I love Fall weather. The leaves are turning gorgeous shades of yellow, orange and red. The temperatures turn cooler and I begin to think about gathering loads of firewood. My list of seasonal baking is starting to grow and one of the first recipes I like to get into the oven to signify the opening of the holiday season, is my go to favorite, Quick and Easy Pumpkin Bread. This year though, I am changing it up a little, giving my usual pumpkin bread an upgrade. What goes better with pumpkin bread than cream cheese? Well my friend, that would be cream cheese in my pumpkin bread. Let me introduce you to my new holiday favorite, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is a tender, moist, pumpkin quick bread with a beautiful swirl of sweetened cream cheese in the middle and crunchy, toasted walnuts on top.
Pumpkin is obviously the default fruit of the autumnal season and you will get no complaints from me. This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread has deep pumpkin flavor. It is packed with lots of delicious pumpkin pie spices. The addition of a creamy ribbon of sweetened cream cheese, swirled through the middle and toasted walnuts on top, make this wonderful quick bread, head and shoulders above any pumpkin bread you have had before.
There are many bakers and cooks that consider themselves “purists,” and insist on cooking what is called “pie pumpkins” down to a puree. These are also known as sugar pumpkins. Typically, they are smaller, darker orange and the flesh is heavier and more dense. The meat of these pumpkins is a little sweeter than a carving pumpkin. I would love to do that and probably will some day. I just don’t have any pumpkins growing in the garden and haven’t seen pie or sugar pumpkins during my recent grocery store trips.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is gorgeous to look at, heavenly to smell and divine to eat. It will move to the top on your favorite quick bread list, in a hurry!!
Because of this, I use canned pumpkin puree. It is important when picking out your pumpkin puree, that you choose a 100% pure pumpkin. If you choose a can that says, “pumpkin pie mix” this is one that contains spices and you will not have the option of adding the spices listed in the recipe below, because some combination of spices have already been added during the canning process. I want you to be able to follow the recipe as listed, in order to produce the best tasting quick bread.
To make a loaf of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, you are going to start by spraying non stick spray into 9 x 5 loaf pan. Then you merely mix together the pumpkin, eggs and spices, then add the dry ingredients and give that a good mix to make sure everything is well incorporated. Half of the pumpkin mixture is then poured into the loaf pan and leveled out. In another mixing bowl, you will me making the cream cheese filling. Combine, room temperature cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract Mix well.
Carefully spread all of the cream cheese mixture over the top of the pumpkin bread batter. Once this had been spread out, you will pour the rest of the pumpkin bread batter over the top of the cream cheese and gently spread this out. Then, sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top of the batter and pop this into a preheated oven for approximately 1 hour. You will want to check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. If it does, remove the bread to cool. If there appears to be wet batter on the toothpick, place the bread back in the oven for another 5 minutes and repeat the toothpick check for doneness.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 1-1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 cup walnuts, lightly chopped
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non stick spray into a 9×5 loaf pan.
- In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, vanilla.
- Add to the pumpkin mixture, the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Mix together until the pumpkin and flour mixture is well incorporated.
- Pour half of the pumpkin bread mixture into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Gently spread the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin bread mixture.
- Pour the remaining pumpkin bread mixture over the cream cheese mixture and spread out gently.
- Sprinkle chopped, walnuts over the top of the pumpkin batter and place bread into a preheated oven.
- Bake 1 hour and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, remove bread from oven. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, place bread back into oven for 5 more minutes and recheck doneness again.
- When bread is done, remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan and placing on wire rack to completely cool.
- Once cool, slice and enjoy. Store in an airtight container.
Once the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is done, you will want to let it cool for 15 minutes before removing from the loaf pan and placing onto a wire rack to completely cool. If you take the bread out of the loaf pan while it is very hot, you risk it breaking apart. All that is left to do is slice and eat! Store this in an airtight container and it maintains its moisture really well. I like to give this as a gift during the holiday by placing it in a clear plastic bag wrapped in a festive ribbon. This bread is far better than any store bought version because it is so moist and you get the added benefit of making your house smell like a pumpkin spice dream! Cut yourself a slice of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, sit with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this delicious holiday treat!
Remember to leave a *Star Rating* and tag me on your Instagram posts if you make any of my recipes. I love to see your creations!
