Is there anything better than having a slice of pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting on a chilly fall morning with a cup of coffee? I don't think so! This super soft and moist pumpkin spice bread can be made in one bowl without a mixer.
This moist pumpkin quick bread is based off of my cheesecake swirl pumpkin bread. It's a simple one bowl recipe, and you just need a whisk to make it! I love a recipe where I don't have to pull out the stand mixer.
This pumpkin loaf cake has all the fall flavors thanks to some warm spices! If you want more of a breakfast bread, then you can leave off the cream cheese icing. This has to be my favorite pumpkin recipe!
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Why you'll love this pumpkin bread!
- This pumpkin bread can be made in 1 bowl with no mixer, I love a recipe where I don't need to pull out a lot of equipment!
- It only takes 10 minutes to make the bread, and while the bread is baking and then cooling you can make the cream cheese frosting.
- The cream cheese topping is based off of my favorite cream cheese frosting. It has a whipped cream base instead of butter and confectioners' sugar, making it extra light and fluffy.
Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin Puree: I used pumpkin puree for this recipe, make sure you use pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling!
Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all purpose flour.
Spices: I used a mixture of spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and a pinch of ground pepper!
Oil: use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable or sunflower oil. I don't recommend using a flavored oil like olive oil here! I used vegetable oil.
Cream Cheese: If you're based in Europe and your cream cheese comes in tubs instead of packets, pat it dry with a paper towel. Cream cheese in Europe has more moisture!
Step by Step Instructions
You will need a large bowl, a whisk, a rubber spatula, a 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan, and a stand mixer or hand held mixer if you're making the cream cheese frosting.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until smooth.
Step 2: Add the baking powder, baking soda, all the spices and salt. Mix everything with a rubber spatula, then pour in the flour. Make sure all of the dry ingredients are combined with the wet, there should be no flour pockets!
Step 3: Pour the batter into a greased 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Before it went in the oven, I used a butter knife to draw a line down the middle of the loaf. This will help create a weak point in the loaf and let it naturally split down the middle. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius and bake for 65-75 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean! Allow the loaf to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Step 4: In a chilled mixing bowl, either in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla extract until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the speed to medium for 2 minutes, stopping when it becomes thick and looks like Greek yogurt.
Step 5: Add the cream cheese a tablespoon at a time, whisking after every addition. Once all the cream cheese is adding, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth.
Step 6: Top the cooled pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting! If the cream cheese frosting isn't thick enough, place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. I sprinkled chopped pecans on top!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a weighing scale – I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake.
- Use the fluff and sprinkle method to measure your flour – if you aren’t using a scale to measure ingredients then make sure you are measuring your flour correctly! Go to this link here to find out how to do that. If you use too much flour, then you won’t have those delicious moist crumbs!
- Temperature ingredients – Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start baking the cake. For the frosting however, you want the cream cheese and heavy cream to be cold!
- Chill the mixing bowl overnight – to help the cream cheese firm up, place your mixing bowl in the fridge the night before.
- Use the right size loaf pan - while a 9x5 and a 8.5x4.5 loaf pan probably looks about the same, it'll make a huge difference in the baking time! If you use a larger pan, the finished pumpkin loaf will be shorter and won't rise as much. Plus, you won't bake it for as long so please keep that in mind!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can change the spices depending on your preferences! I prefer a pumpkin bread with lots of warm spices, and I think other spices like cloves or allspice would also be amazing in this bread. You could also substitute the spices I have listed in the recipe card for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
You can use homemade pumpkin puree, but as that has more moisture than canned pumpkin you'll need to pat it down with a paper towel.
First step is to make sure you are using metric measurements, as you want to use the correct amount of flour. Next, what size pan are you using? If your pan is smaller than 8.5x4.5 inches then it will need longer in the oven! Finally, make sure you use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the correct temperature!
Keep the pumpkin bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you haven't frosted the bread, then you can wrap the loaf up in plastic wrap.
Try these Fall recipes next!
Have you made this recipe? Please rate the recipe below! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @alpineella and Pinterest!
Recipe
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 1 ⅓ cup canned pumpkin
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch ground pepper
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream cold
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese cold
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius. Grease a 8.5×4.5" loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add the baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Mix until completely combined. Add flour and stir, stopping when you no longer see streaks of flour.1 ⅓ cup canned pumpkin, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 8 tablespoons neutral oil, 1 ¼ cup white sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, pinch ground pepper, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 cups all purpose flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Use a butter knife to draw a line down the middle of the loaf, this will help create a weak spot in the loaf and give a nicer looking crack down the middle of the bread.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 65-75 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean! Let the loaf cool completely in the loaf pan.
- Chill your mixing bowl for at least 1 hour, or overnight. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes. The sugar needs to have completely dissolved.3 tablespoons white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yoghurt.
- While the mixer is running on a low speed, add in the cream cheese a tablespoon at a time. By the end, it should look like cream cheese. Turn off the mixer, and scrape the entire bowl to make sure no cream cheese is left on the side. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.4 tablespoons cream cheese
- Pour the cream cheese frosting on top of the cooled loaf pan and enjoy!
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