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Wholesome Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

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A tender, spiced pumpkin bread with a beautiful cream cheese swirl that’s surprisingly easy to make. This wholesome recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together in about an hour for a perfect fall treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (240g) pumpkin purée (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil/avocado oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)
  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened (full-fat recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of overhang on the long sides.
  2. Make the cream cheese swirl: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and milk, beat until combined and silky. Set aside.
  3. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until no lumps remain.
  4. Mix wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, maple syrup, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until smooth and well combined.
  5. Combine wet and dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
  6. Layer the batter: Pour half of the pumpkin batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the batter, covering the surface.
  7. Add remaining batter: Gently pour the rest of the pumpkin batter over the cream cheese layer and spread evenly, being careful not to disturb the cream cheese too much.
  8. Create the swirl: Insert a toothpick or skewer into the batter and drag it through in a figure-eight pattern from one end of the pan to the other. Make about 6 to 8 passes—do not over-swirl.
  9. Bake: Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 35 minutes.
  10. Cool: Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Use parchment overhang to lift it out and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing, at least 1 hour.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for best texture. Do not overmix the batter or over-swirl the cream cheese. The bread tastes even better the next day as flavors meld. For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend with xanthan gum. For dairy-free, use plant-based cream cheese and buttermilk substitute.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin bread, cream cheese swirl, fall baking, quick bread, pumpkin recipe, easy bread

Find it online: https://piperplate.com/wholesome-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-bread/