Pumpkin Bread

It’s pumpkin season and one of my favorite sweets is Pumpkin Bread with a cream cheese glaze.

INGREDIENTS

2 c AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground cloves)

3/4 c melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 1/2 c white sugar (can lower to 1 c or go up to 2 cups depending on your sweet level, or 1 cup packed light brown sugar)

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 can of pumpkin purée (15 oz)

Glaze:

• ½ teaspoon sunflower oil or any mild-flavored oil

• 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)

Frosting
4 oz cream cheese
2 oz unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 c of powdered sugar as needed to desired frosting consistency

PREPARATION

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 and set oven rack in middle position.

2. Mix your dry ingredients (except sugar) together and mix/whisk until combined and set aside.

3. Mix wet ingredients together: Mix butter with sugar, then add one egg at a time until light and fluffy (I used a hand whisk for everything and a spatula). Add pumpkin puree, vanilla and mix well.

4. Add in the dry mix until combined (I used a spatula at the end of this step and scraped side of bowls into the batter).

5. Pour batter into a generously brushed loaf pan with butter (add parchment paper to middle of loafed pan for easy transfer of loaf).

*Optional Finishing SPRINKLE (I added some of this on top of the batter in the pans right before putting therm in the oven and I added a tiny pinch on top of the frosting, do not use all of the sugar mixture below).

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6. Bake for about 1 hour to 75 min until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean (mine took 45 min for a thin glass cake pan, and another one took about 65 min in a deep loaf glass pan). Let cool for 10 min then remove loaf from pan onto a wire rack.