Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Homemade pumpkin bread is the perfect fall treat! Make this easy quick bread recipe this pumpkin season for either breakfast with a cup of coffee or even dessert. The perfect pumpkin bread is super moist, loaded with a mixture of spices and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting that is sure to put a smile on your face!
Servings: 16 slices
Equipment
- 9x5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ⅓ cup buttermilk * see notes
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or grease with butter.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer cream the butter and both types of sugar together. Add the vegetable oil and continue to mix for a minute until mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree and combine well.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices using a spoon or whisk.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the pumpkin along with half of the buttermilk. Use the mixer to combine the ingredients while slowly adding the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Do not overmix. Use a spatula to finish mixing by hand to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl until no dry flour remains.
- Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. At the halfway point rotate pan in the oven to insures that it cooks evenly and tent with aluminum foil to prevent loaf from over browning on top.
- Check before recommended bake time with a toothpick for doneness. The bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow bread to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle invert the bread to the rack to finish cooling.
- When bread is completely cooled prepare the cream cheese frosting by beating room temperature cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer. The cream cheese will be smooth and free from lumps add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time while mixing. Add vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Smooth cream cheese frosting over the bread in a thick layer.
Notes
I use buttermilk a lot in baking but you can always add a tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup along with enough whole milk to fill. The acid in buttermilk is the key ingredient that helps make this bread a light and fluffy texture.
You can freeze this loaf, by placing the bread in the freezer to par freeze. I do this by sliding the whole loaf or individual slices into the freezer on a cutting board or plate. After a couple of hours remove the bread and wrap tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. This will partially freeze the bread allowing you to wrap with plastic wrap with out smearing the cream cheese frosting. When ready to defrost remove all of the wrappings and let sit at room temperature for an hour.