Description
This ultimate pumpkin bread recipe combines seven warm spices with pumpkin puree to create an incredibly moist, flavorful loaf that’s perfect for fall. Topped with smooth cream cheese frosting, it’s the ideal comfort food for cozy autumn days.
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bread (9×5 loaf pan):
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup neutral oil (like canola or vegetable)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1¼ cups pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1–3 tsp milk (as needed for consistency)
Instructions
1. Prep Your Kitchen (5 minutes) Heat oven to 350°F. Line your 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it – this prevents sticking disasters.
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients (3 minutes) Whisk flour, baking soda, all the spices, and salt in a medium bowl. The smell alone will make you happy.
3. Combine Wet Ingredients (5 minutes) In a large bowl, whisk oil, both sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. This should look creamy and gorgeous.
4. Fold Together (2 minutes) Add dry ingredients to wet and fold gently until just combined. Don’t overmix – a few flour streaks are perfect.
5. Bake (55-65 minutes) Pour into prepared pan. Run a knife down the center for that pretty crack on top. Bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
6. Cool Completely (30 minutes) Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Don’t frost warm bread unless you want frosting soup.
7. Make Frosting (5 minutes) Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, then thin with milk until spreadable.
8. Frost and Enjoy Spread frosting on completely cooled bread. This is where the magic happens.
Notes
I couldn’t find ground cardamom at my regular grocery store, so I bought the whole pods and crushed them myself. Just crack about five pods, pull out the little black seeds, and grind them up. Takes an extra minute but makes a huge difference.
Don’t use olive oil – I tried it once thinking it would be fancy and it just tasted weird with all the spices. Stick with boring vegetable oil. Also, if you frost it and put it straight in the fridge, let it sit out for like twenty minutes before serving or the frosting will be too firm.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 195mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg