This year, I’ve waited patiently for fall to arrive. I say it every year and I’ll repeat myself again: I LOVE FALL! You know in the movie ‘Elf’ how excited (understatement) Buddy is about Christmas? That’s how I am about fall, even if it’s usually one of the shorter seasons. There are many things to be excited about, from birthdays & anniversaries all the way to pumpkin goodies, college football season (Go Gators!), and cooler weather.
One of the best things about fall is the abundance and seasonality of pumpkins. Whether you make your own pumpkin puree or buy it at the store in a can, you can’t deny that it makes baked goods (and soups!) extra comforting.
So, this particular pumpkin bread. I honestly hadn’t made this recipe in years and had to remember that it was typed up in my recipe binder! My friend kindly passed along the recipe to me one year, after I begged her to divulge her secrets. Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic but I’m trying to make a point here. This bread is life changing. I don’t like using that word lightly, y’all, but in this case it needs to be used.
Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C granulated sugar
1 C light brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 large eggs
2 C pumpkin puree
1 C coconut oil, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 C hot water
Glaze
1/4 C confectioners sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
*makes enough glaze for 1 loaf, so if you want to glaze both loaves just double the measurements*
Directions
1. Grease and flour two standard size bread loaf pans. I used a 1.5Q glass Pyrex pan and a stainless Wilton 8 3/4 x 4 1/2 pan. Alternatively, you could use three 7×3 inch pans or even muffin pans. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Make sure to completely blend and eliminate any clumps you might have from the brown sugar. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, crack open the 4 eggs (it’s best if they’re not straight out of the fridge – I let mine sit out for 10-15 minutes) and whisk until combined. Add the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, vanilla extract and hot water and fully incorporate the mixture.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl where you have the dry ingredients. Gently mix together with a rubber spatula (or fork, etc) to fully incorporate, making sure not to over mix.
5. Divide the batter evenly among your prepared bread pans.
6. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. While your bread is baking, you can set out the cream cheese for the glaze so that it gets nice and soft. Once your cream cheese is softened, place it in a small bowl and add the confectioners sugar & pumpkin pie spice. Stir vigorously with a fork until mixture is smooth. After the bread is done and has cooled, generously apply the glaze on top however you’d like.
8. Bread keeps best in the refrigerator, due to the cream cheese glaze. I froze the extra loaf without glazing it, but do as you please.
Enjoy!
Oooh this looks amazing! I love pumpkin bread. And I love fall, too! I didn’t use to when I was a kid. I like that this bread uses coconut oil.
Haha, I’m curious why you didn’t like fall as a kid? Yes, the coconut oil makes it feel a tiny bit healthier. 😉