This pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting is moist, and tender, and is topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts.
This pumpkin bread is a delicious and indulgent treat that combines the warm flavors of pumpkin with the creamy richness of cream cheese.
This moist and flavorful bread is perfect for fall, with its aromatic spices and tender texture.
The cream cheese frosting adds a tangy sweetness that perfectly complements the pumpkin, creating a mouthwatering combination.
Whether enjoyed as a breakfast treat or an afternoon snack, this bread is sure to satisfy your cravings for something sweet and comforting.
If you like pumpkin desserts, check out my pumpkin cheesecake cookies, chewy pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, banana pumpkin muffins, pumpkin muffins.
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Why this recipe works
- Cream cheese frosting- this bread is topped with an easy, simple, and delicious cream cheese frosting which makes this irresistible.
- Flavor- this bread has the best combination of spices and sweetness with lots of pumpkin flavor.
- Simple- You will need super simple ingredients to make this bread. You can find these ingredients in any grocery store.
- Perfect to use up leftover pumpkin puree- if you have an open pumpkin puree can, make this bread! It is perfect for using up leftover pumpkin puree and creating this delish loaf!
- One bowl- This delish bread comes together in just one bowl. All you will need is a large bowl and a whisk.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Pumpkin puree- we like making our own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins. You can use either canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree, make sure that you strain the extra liquids from your fresh pumpkins.
Baking soda – to allow the bread to rise. Don't replace baking soda with baking powder!
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this bread.
Sugar- I used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Brown sugar- adds a nice texture and a rich flavor to the bread.
Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Cinnamon- Cinnamon is a must in pumpkin desserts unless you are allergic. Use ground cinnamon for this.
Spices- I like adding nutmeg and ginger for pumpkin desserts, but you can use your favorite spices like cloves, pumpkin spice, etc.
Eggs- you will need 3 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract is what you will need for this recipe.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the cream cheese frosting
Cream cheese– you will need to get your cream cheese to room temperature.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. You don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Into a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vegetable oil, melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar, and mix with a whisk until combined.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.
Add the flour, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Dont overmix.
Pour the batter into the parchment paper-lined loaf pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake and comes out clean.
Let the cake cool to room temperature before frosting. This step prevents the frosting from melting off the cake.
Make the frosting
Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Then add ½ of the powdered sugar at a time (you don’t want to be in a powdered sugar cloud).
Add a pinch of salt, and the vanilla extract and mix well until smooth.
Top the cake with the cream cheese frosting and make a wave pattern with an offset spatula. Top the cake with chopped nuts for an extra crunch. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up. This cake is extra moist and melt in your mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait these 20 minutes.
Faq's
We like making our bread with fresh pumpkin puree, but this is a personal preference. Using fresh pumpkin puree makes these extremely tender and moist.
Usually, fresh pumpkin puree contains more liquids which makes these extra moist and melt in your mouth delicious. However, canned pumpkin puree will give you pretty much the same result.
Yes. If you would like to consume less sugar or less sweet pumpkin bread, reduce the amount of sugar by ⅓ cup.
I don't recommend using this recipe for making muffins, instead, use our pumpkin muffins recipe and use this frosting on top of the muffins.
Storing
This loaf will last up to 4 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
Freezing
This bread is very easy to freeze. After baking, let it cool to room temperature, transfer it into a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly with a plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw: place it in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- you can make this cake dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter or using your favorite dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
Variations
Toppings- this cake can be topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting or maple cream cheese frosting. Use your favorite toppings that you like to make the most!
Pumpkin pie filling- If you want pumpkin pie flavor in this bread, you can swap the pure pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie filling.
Add-ins- make this recipe your own and add your favorite add-ins: chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- our favorite copper whisk set.
- Loaf pan
- Canned pumpkin puree
More pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin banana muffins- These pumpkin banana muffins are moist and fluffy and filled with chocolate chips and topped with a cinnamon streusel topping.
Pumpkin snickerdoodles- These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are chewy and soft with crispy edges, filled with fall spices and pumpkin, and coated with cinnamon sugar.
No bake pumpkin cheesecake- This no-bake pumpkin cheesecake is creamy and velvety smooth and is made with a simple cinnamony graham cracker crust and topped with light and fluffy pumpkin cheesecake filling.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin bread
- 8 oz Pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup Butter melted
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Cream cheese frosting
- 4.2 oz Cream cheese
- ¼ cup Butter
- 2 cups Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vegetable oil, melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar, and mix with a whisk until combined.
- Add the eggs and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Dont overmix.
- Pour the batter into the parchment paper-lined loaf pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake and comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature before frosting. This step prevents the frosting to melt off the cake.
Make the frosting
- Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Then add ½ of the powder sugar at a time (you don’t want to be in a powder sugar cloud).
- Add a pinch of salt, and the vanilla extract and mix well until smooth.
- Top the cake with the cream cheese frosting and make a wave pattern with an offset spatula. Top the cake with chopped nuts for an extra crunch. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Mesure you flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up. This cake is extra moist and melt in your mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait these 20 minutes.
Demetrios
Nice recipe but too sweet for my liking. I reduced the sugar amounts and it was just perfect for my family! Thank you 🙂
Kasia
This time of the year I love to make pumpkin pie but this time I decided to make pumpkin Bread for the first time. It was quick and very easy to make. Came out very moist deep in flavor and instead of Cream cheese topping I melted some milk chocolate and spread it on top. It also makes a great combination, got a lot of compliments 😊 I divided a batter into two 9 x 5 loaf bread pans and baked for about 45 minutes
Ruby
A lovely moist cake with so much depth of flavour. Appreciate the metric measurements especially for us in Australia. Would you post the metric weights of flour etc please? The extra tips are very useful. Thank you.
RichandDelish
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I'm glad you like it!
Vicki
225 g is how many cups
RichandDelish
Hi! I suggest weighing your ingredients as it's the most accurate, but it's about 3/4 cup.
Alessandra
Hi, I live in Panamá and here we wave Zapallo, it is like family of the pumpking but does not have to much flavor. Can I add more puree? It wont affect the recipe?
RichandDelish
It should work fine!