This pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting is the most comforting fall treat! It's moist crumb and warm spices feel like a cozy hug with every bite 🙂
This moist pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting needs to be on your fall baking list! I mean, is it even fall without pumpkin bread?!
It's soft texture melts in your mouth and immediately reminds your tastebuds why pumpkin spice is the most beloved flavor of fall baking. It's truly perfect on its own, but utterly irresistible with the cream cheese frosting.
For more comforting fall recipes, try Brown Butter Snickerdoodles, Apple Cider Bundt Cake, Apple Streusel Coffee Cake, and Brown Butter Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls.
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Why you'll love this easy pumpkin bread recipe
- Strong Pumpkin Flavor: Made with a whole can of pumpkin purée and a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, this pumpkin bread is PACKED with pumpkin flavor!
- Soft, Moist Crumb: Thanks to the pumpkin purée and oil, this pumpkin bread stays moist for a whole week!
- Luscious Cream Cheese Frosting: There's nothing better than warm, comforting pumpkin bread slathered with luscious cream cheese frosting 🙂
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions.
- Flour: Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Leaveners: You'll need both baking powder and baking soda to give this pumpkin bread the perfect rise.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own.
- Pumpkin Purée: Libby's canned pumpkin is my favorite! Be sure to use pumpkin purée NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugars: I used dark brown sugar in this recipe for a deeper flavor of molasses, but you can use whichever brown sugar you have on hand. You'll also need granulated sugar for the batter and powdered sugar for the cream cheese frosting.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable. I recommend using light-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
- Eggs: Be sure to use room temperature eggs, and add them one at a time to the batter!
- Vanilla: Warm fall baked goods MUST have some good quality vanilla.
- Cream Cheese: Use cold block cream cheese for the frosting.
- Butter: You'll need just ¼ cup of room temperature butter for the frosting.
- Heavy Cream: Add about a tablespoon of heavy cream to the frosting to bring it to the perfect pipe-able consistency,
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Pullman Pan or 9x5 Loaf Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Electric Mixer
- Piping Bag & Tip
Step by Step Instructions
This easy pumpkin bread recipe is made with just a couple bowls and a whisk! It's so easy, you could make it in your sleep. Plus, it stays moist for a whole week, so you can enjoy a piece with your coffee every morning. So in a way, it's like this super easy, crazy delicious pumpkin bread recipe is your meal prep for the week! How responsible of you😉
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.
Step 4: Mix with a rubber spatula until fully combined.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a parchment lined pullman pan or 9x5 loaf pan, smooth out the top, and tap on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Step 6: Bake the pumpkin bread for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 7: Make the cream cheese frosting.
Step 8: Top the cooled pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Use any neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable. I recommend using light-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
- Be sure to only use block style COLD cream cheese to ensure the frosting is thick & sturdy.
- To make your life easier, sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting! It will help create a silky smooth frosting that doesn't require you to mix it for forever.
- Make sure the pumpkin bread is completely cool before adding the frosting or it will melt! You can always stick the bread in the fridge to cool down faster.
FAQ
Pumpkin purée is pure pumpkin and the only type of canned pumpkin you should be baking with! Canned pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and other ingredients.
The key is to use COLD block-style cream cheese. The cold temperature and consistency of this type of cream cheese will ensure your frosting turns out thick & sturdy. I also recommend using full-fat cream cheese for best flavor.
Yes! Unfrosted, this pumpkin bread stays moist for 1 whole week! Make it a few days before and store covered at room temperature, then frost right before serving.
Storage Tips
Store this pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Without cream cheese frosting, the pumpkin bread will last for 1 week. Individual slices can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a freezer bag to be frozen for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), I can ensure that you can make the recipe accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other fall recipes to try
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
Print📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: breads
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting is the most comforting fall treat! It's moist crumb and warm spices feel like a cozy hug with every bite 🙂
Ingredients
For the pumpkin bread:
- 280g (2 ⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 15 oz pumpkin purée*
- 213g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 175g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) neutral oil*
- 3 eggs (room temp)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 227g (8 oz; 1 block) cream cheese (cold)*
- 56g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 170g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar (sifted)*
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
For the pumpkin bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a pullman pan or 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Mix in the oil.
- Then, whisk in the eggs one at a time, as well as the vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake the pumpkin bread for 55 minutes - 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the pumpkin bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- In a medium bowl, add the cold cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the room temperature butter and salt, and mix until fully combined.
- Add the sifted powder sugar in 3-4 additions, and mix until smooth.
- Pour in the heavy cream and mix one last time.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
- Pipe the frosting in zigzags on top of the cooled pumpkin bread and enjoy!*
Notes
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Use any neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable. I recommend using light-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
- Be sure to only use block style COLD cream cheese to ensure the frosting is thick & sturdy.
- To make your life easier, sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting! It will help create a silky smooth frosting that doesn't require you to mix it for forever.
- Make sure the pumpkin bread is completely cool before adding the frosting or it will melt! You can always stick the bread in the fridge to cool down faster.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 492
- Sugar: 42.1 g
- Sodium: 342.1 mg
- Fat: 25.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.2 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 76.3 mg
Keywords: pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, easy pumpkin bread recipe, moist pumpkin bread
Elsa says
This pumpkin bread turned out amazing! Seriously my new favorite pumpkin bread recipe
★★★★★