cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread
Pumpkin bread is the pinnacle of autumn.
For real, no year can pass without the ritual Baking of the Pumpkin Bread. The tradition is imperative to the season. I don’t think I’ve neglected a new loaf for the past four years or so, whether it appears here on FMG or not.
My go-to is Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, mostly because I am a cocoa fiend. However, this Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread is a close second, when I’m wanting something a little fancier-looking, a little more amplified. Not that it’s complicated in any respect. Our loaf here is as easy as it comes.
We’ve got a soft loaf base rippled on the inside with a stable cream cheese filling that’s only lightly sweetened so to mellow the bite characteristic of cream cheese on its own. The worst part about any pumpkin loaf recipe is the wait time: those aromas will tease your nostrils as you wait for the bread to bake, and then wait for it to cool.
But, trust me, kids. The patience pays off. Your afternoon coffee will thank you for your service.
Loaf For an Oaf
Referring mostly to me. None of ya’ll are oafs.
The bread batter itself is simple and uses mostly pantry-staple components. First, whip vegetable oil with dark brown sugar until combined, then beat in two eggs, some vanilla, and pumpkin. Be sure to buy 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. If you use the latter, expect your tastebuds to dismantle and fall into the garbage can just like the pumpkin bread you tried to make.
Next, mix in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices – we’re going with my usual trio of cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Finish with a dab of salt and swirl that batter up until just combined. Some lumps are okay!
In another bowl, beat softened cream cheese with an egg yolk, some sugar, and flour. The yolk and flour work to stabilize the cream cheese so it doesn’t crack and cause the whole loaf to collapse once removed from the pan. Trust me, that happened during my first test sans those ingredients, and it ruined my whole fucking day. I take that shit personally.
Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter or oil. Dump in half of the batter and spread with a spatula into an even layer. Dollop your cream cheese filling overtop and swirl gently with a butter knife. Doesn’t need to be perfect, just as even as you can get it. Top with the remainder of the batter, spreading to cover the cream cheese fully.
Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar overtop as a nice sparkly adornment. To make, I just toss a couple tablespoons of sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon and dust it onto the bread.
Bake the loaf 55-65 minutes at 350 degrees. Start checking at 50 minutes by poking the center all the way through with a skewer. Once the bread is firm in the center and the skewer no longer has a dribble of liquid covering the tip, the bread is ready to remove.
But wait, you can’t eat it quite yet! Cool in the pan about 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the loaf and invert it onto a plate. Quickly flip it upright onto a wire rack (some of the cinnamon sugar might slide off onto your counter, and while annoying, that’s expected). Cool the loaf an additional 30 minutes before attempting to slice.
Then, be my guest and enjoy a slice or two! Even though it’s been out of the oven around an hour at that point, the inside is still warm and toasty, I promise. A perfect temperature for a spread of butter or a drizzle of honey.
I recommend storing your pumpkin bread in the fridge, for up to 3 days. The cinnamon sugar might start to sink into the crust. Aesthetically displeasing, but still yummy. Any leftover slices freeze nicely for up to a month or two.
Oh my gourd, indeed.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Brunch for you, punkin:
Baked Pumpkin Sticky Bun French Toast
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp clove
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp cinnamon sugar (see note)
cream cheese filling
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with oil or butter.
- In a bowl, beat together the oil and brown sugar until combined. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and flour until smooth.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Dollop the cream cheese and swirl gently with a butter knife to distribute. Add the rest of the batter, smoothing with a spatula to ensure the cream cheese is totally covered. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar overtop.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes. Start checking the bread for doneness at 50 minutes by inserting a skewer into the center. When the skewer emerges with just a few moist crumbs, remove the bread from the oven.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate and flip upright onto a wire rack. Cool at least another 30 minutes before slicing. ENJOY with a cup of coffee or tea, and maybe a smear of butter too.
