Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
This pumpkin bread recipe is perfectly moist and snackable, topped with a Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting that sings notes of salted caramel. It’s everything you’re looking for in an autumn dessert. As it bakes, your home will fill with the most magical, nostalgic smell. What a lovely way to welcome autumn. And because it yields two large loaves, you can keep one and gift or freeze the other. What’s not to love here?
What you’ll love about this Pumpkin Bread
Most pumpkin bread recipes lean on granulated sugar for sweetening. Here, I’ve substituted brown sugar that gives a richer, more molasses-forward depth of flavor that really compliments the pumpkin. The brown sugar also makes the crumb a bit more dense, something that holds up to a thick spread of frosting or really good butter.
Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
2 ¾ cups brown sugar, loosely packed
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup avocado oil or other neutral vegetable oil
4 large eggs
⅔ cup water, room temperature
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
How to make Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare two large loaf pans with parchment paper and a bit of oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, water, and spices. Use a whisk or handheld mixer to mix until well incorporated. Slowly add your dry ingredient mixture until combined and mostly free of lumps. All the flour should be absorbed, some small lumps are okay as long as there isn’t flour visible. Be thoughtful not to over-mix as this will create a less tender crumb. Set aside.
- Fill each loaf pan about 3/4 full, leaving 1-1 ½ inches between the batter and the top of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the center is fully set.
- While the Pumpkin Bread is baking, make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below) and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Remove the pans from the oven and cool completely before frosting, slicing, and serving.
Ways to Serve Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread is enjoyed a number of ways: warm from the oven with a dollop of very good butter, slathered with cream cheese frosting (recipe below!), even drizzled with fresh chocolate ganache. I like to enjoy mine with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and a hot cup of chai tea or the darkest roast coffee I can get my hands around.
If serving at brunch, providing a fruit platter, some soft boiled eggs, and a meat and cheese board is a lovely way to offer variety and something savory alongside the sweets.
Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- 2 Large loaf pans
- Parchment paper
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk or hand-held mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 2 ¾ cups brown sugar loosely packed
- 1 cup avocado oil or other neutral vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup water room temperature
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare two large loaf pans with parchment paper and a bit of oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, eggs, water, and spices. Use a whisk or handheld mixer to mix until well incorporated. Slowly add your dry ingredient mixture until combined and mostly free of lumps. All the flour should be absorbed, some small lumps are okay as long as there isn’t flour visible. Be thoughtful not to over-mix as this will create a less tender crumb. Set aside.
- Fill each loaf pan about 3/4 full, leaving 1-1 ½ inches between the batter and the top of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the center is fully set.
- While the Pumpkin Bread is baking, make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Remove the pans from the oven and cool completely before frosting, slicing, and serving.
Nutrition
Cream Cheese Frosting for Pumpkin Bread
There are a million types of cream cheese frosting recipes on the internet – and this just might be the best. To be fair – can anything with browned butter be bad? I don’t think it can. The few additional minutes it takes to create the nutty, browned butter flavor is well worth the effort. Let’s not delay – here’s my go-to recipe for Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. A recipe within a recipe. A bonus recipe, if you will. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Small sauce pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Small bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Butter knife or frosting tool
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions
- Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan on low-medium heat. Stir constantly, the butter will start to bubble. Keep stirring until the butter splits an the solids become a caramel color brown. Pour the brown butter into a small bowl and cool in the fridge until solid.
- Once the brown butter has solidified, add the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip gently until smooth and free of lumps. There will be tiny specks in the creamy frosting, those are from the brown butter.
- Once your bake has cooled, frost the top generously with the frosting, slice, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe and are looking for more ways to use our new favorite frosting, try it with my Carrot and Banana Muffins. They are absolutely delicious frosted with this recipe. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
