Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist and perfectly spiced pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. It makes the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee on the cooler fall days.

Pumpkin bread is a classic fall treat. Firstly because it's pumpkin season, but secondly, there is something about the bread itself that is so warm and cozy it makes it a perfect fall treat for when the weather becomes cooler.

This perfect pumpkin bread is full of warming spices and topped with tangy cream cheese icing. It's an easy quick bread that the whole family can make.

What is pumpkin bread?

It's a bit like a spiced pumpkin cake made with pumpkin puree and lots of spices, baked in a bread loaf pan. It's a sweet bread with a brilliant orange hue thanks to the pumpkin puree.

The addition of fall spices pairs really well with the earthy-sweet flavor of pumpkin. The addition of the puree to the loaf keeps it really moist and soft. It's made with simple ingredients, but the end result is amazing. Try these banana pumpkin muffins!

The pumpkin puree

Pumpkin is obviously a key ingredient in this bread to bring the pumpkin flavor. You can use canned puree or make your own homemade pumpkin puree.

Making your own pumpkin puree is super simple and cheap, especially if you are a pumpkin lover and grow your own pumpkins! Once fall comes around its pumpkin season, they are in abundance in the store or at your local pumpkin patch. You can make a big batch of homemade pumpkin puree and freeze it for future uses!

The pumpkin pie spices

The mixture of spices in this easy pumpkin bread is a beautiful combination that suits the pumpkin really well. You've got

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves

You can also use a 'pumpkin pie spice' mixture instead. That has the addition of ginger and allspice too and that will work great to bring the pumpkin spice flavor!

The ingredients

You'll find the ingredient amounts for this pumpkin loaf in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. But here is a rundown of what you will need.

• All-purpose flour
• Pumpkin puree
• Vegetable oil
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract or paste
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves (or a pumpkin spice blend)
• Salt

The frosting

The tangy cream cheese frosting is super easy to whip together and pairs perfectly with the loaf.

• Cream cheese
• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla
• Pecans (optional)- to give a little crunch

Equipment

The pumpkin spice bread is baked in an 8½x4½inch (21x11cm) loaf pan. A hand mixer will also come in handy to beat the frosting.

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and salt and set it aside.

In a large bowl add the sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Beat it all together until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix them together with a rubber spatula or the hand mixer on low speed, until combined. Don't overbeat it.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake the loaf for around 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it on a wire rack. Let the bread cool down to room temperature before frosting.

The frosting

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix it in on low speed until combined. If it's too runny, add in a little more powdered sugar.

Assembling

Once the pumpkin bread is completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting onto the bread with an offset spatula. Roughly chop up some pecans and sprinkle them on top.

Storing

Enjoy a slice of pumpkin bread with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack. Leftover pumpkin bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4.

If the bread is un-iced, it can be wrapped up and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Additions and substitutions

This easy pumpkin bread recipe is delicious the way it is but there are a few things that can be added and tweaked according to your tastes!

• Swap the white sugar for brown sugar to bring a deeper flavor
• Add chocolate chips to the pumpkin bread
• Orange zest can be added to the batter
• Toasted pecans or walnuts can be added to the batter too

Related recipes

• Easy pumpkin pie
• Peach pie with canned peaches
• Spiced gingerbread muffins
• Banana ginger loaf