Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread

This is my second autumn in New York and to say it’s beautiful is an understatement.

The trees are bursting with copper and orange colors. Local farmers at the market have baskets filled with apples and squash. Scarves are tied tight around your neck as you walk through the park. Your favorite Salted Caramel Mocha arrives at the coffee shop. I live for fall and especially the months of October and November when there is a chill in the air, but no snow has touched the ground. Because, let’s face it, snow is pretty but not when you have to walk two miles in it!

This past weekend I kicked my oven on and started the pumpkin baking season off right with this Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling. After doing a quick scan in the archives (which seriously need to be updated!), I realized I hadn’t posted as many pumpkin recipes as I’d like. I’m an ardent fan of pumpkin bread and I bake it every season. So why have I not posted about it? Talk about frustrating… I immediately went through my Bookmarked links and found this recipe from The Cheeky Kitchen, one of my new favorite blogs. Everything she posts makes my mouth water and I have a running tab of “Must Make” recipes.

Of course, I had to adapt the recipe since I didn’t have cinnamon chips on hand nor did I have coconut oil, which she used as the traditional fat. Instead, I substituted vegetable oil, my preferred baking oil, and left out the cinnamon chips. I also cut down on the amount of cream cheese filling because I didn’t want the cream to inundate the bread. I just wanted additional texture and flavor, which it gave so I was happy!

Was it my favorite pumpkin bread recipe? No, but it was a close second! I liked the way the cinnamon spice came through the bread and think that it added more depth to the bread. However the hunt is officially on for the PERFECT pumpkin loaf.. If you have a favorite, be sure to leave it in the comments section! I’m dying to try new recipes out!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from: Cheeky Kitchen
Yields: One 9×5 Loaf

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
15 ounces pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces cream cheese, cut in small pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat until fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree, baking powder, salt, flour and vanilla. Mix together just until combined.
Pour the batter into the pan, reserving 1/4 of the batter.
Blend cream cheese until combined.
Place the cream cheese edge-to-edge in the middle of the batter, then cover the cream cheese with the remaining batter.
Bake in an oven for about an hour, or just until the center of the bread springs back to the touch. (bakers note: I checked my loaf around the 30-minute mark and it was done. However my oven runs very hot!)
Let cool 10 minutes; invert pans and transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container, the bread can last for 3 days.