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 each and every bite.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a pullman pan or 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and oil.
Then, whisk in the eggs and vanilla, and lastly the pumpkin purée.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until fully combined and smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Use a knife to draw a line down the center in order to encourage the batter to split down the middle as it bakes.
Bake the pumpkin bread for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil around the 40 minute mark to prevent it from getting too dark.
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 and smooth.
Add the sifted powder sugar in 2-3 additions, and mix on low speed until smooth.
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
Use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and other ingredients.
Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.
Sift the powdered sugar. I know it can be a pain, but trust me, sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting is so worth it! If you don't sift it, you'll need to mix the frosting on low speed for a long time to smooth it out. This also runs the risk of agitating the milk solids, creating a grainy frosting.