It’s finally pumpkin season. I like to wait until October (or at least until after Labor day!) to break out the pumpkin everything. I don’t know when pumpkin everything became such a big deal, but I definitely didn’t eat pumpkin anything when I was little. But now, it’s great in most fall desserts, and even (especially?) in savory dishes. It’s just like butternut squash, you can dress it up to be sweet and caramelized, or savory and rich.
The other night we were invited to a pumpkinpalooza, where the goal was to eat and drink pumpkin everything (Mr. Smith practically cringes thinking about it. He woke up the next morning and said, “I think I can still smell pumpkin in the air”. ha.). I decided to make pumpkin cream cheese bread for the party—classic, but so good! This recipe was very moist, with plenty of rich flavor from all the classic fall spices: cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon.
For some reason, my cream cheese filling mixture “broke” and separated, so while I didn’t get the line of clear cream cheese layer in the middle of the loaf like the inspiration, it turned out extra moist, which was deliciously heavenly. This was the first time my cream cheese mixture (similar to a cream cheese frosting) broke, so I tweaked the recipe directions to incorporate the egg into the cream cheese after the sugar; that should prevent the mixture from splitting.
When you make this recipe, have fun testing out different combinations and amounts of the spices. If you love cinnamon, add more of that. If you like nutmeg, go to town. You can also try adding maple syrup. I think that would be heavenly. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
By rls
When you make this Cinnamon Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, have fun with different combinations of spices. If you love cinnamon, add more. If you like nutmeg, go to town people.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients
Cream Cheese filling
- 1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Bread
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix from Trader Joe’s
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- optional: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Cinnamon-Sugar topping
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease two loaf pans with butter or cooking spray.
- Combine cream cheese and sugar and beat until fluffy (either in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer). Gradually add in flour, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice mix.
- In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin and canola oil with a whisk until combined. Then add in eggs and sugar and mix well until fully combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until combined.
- Fold in the chopped pecans/walnuts or chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour half of the batter into the two prepared loaf pans.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter layer in each loaf pan. Use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese into the pumpkin batter to distribute.
- Pour the remaining batter on top.
- Bake in the preheated 325 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle generously over the top of the loaves. You’ll probably have cinnamon-sugar left over. Save it to top your yogurt, or pancakes, or muffins, or peanut butter, or…
- Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pans and move to a rack to cool completely. Share the love and enjoy!
Adapted from: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, Nancy Creative
8 Responses
Trang
mmm… cinnamon, pumpkin and cheese sound like an scrumptious combination! I love your photo btw, the one with the sugar dusting…
rls
Thank you, Trang. Let us know how you like it if you make it!
Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen
I think that may be the first time I’ve heard of a pumpkinpalooza! Gotta give credit for the theme nights. Your bread looks amazing, love the dusting of powdered sugar too.
rls
The pumpkinpalooza was a great time – pumpkin appetizers, pumpkin desserts, pumpkin dips, pumpkin drinks, pumpkin everything! We actually used a cinnamon-sugar mix for the dusting; it tasted great! Thanks for stopping by, Sherri!
Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking
This bread looks moist and fabulous! Love that shot of the powdered sugar dusting over the top! Pinned!
rls
Thanks, Lindsey! We actually used a dusting of cinnamon-sugar; it tasted great, and I’m sure powdered sugar would, too. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!
Laura @PetiteAllergyTreats
I’m game for anything pumpkin! This pumpkin cream cheese bread looks and sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing at Saturday Night Fever! Pinned.
rls
Thank you, Laura! Enjoy!