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Perfect One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl

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This one-bowl pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl is moist, spiced, and topped with a tangy cream cheese ribbon. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing fall dessert that comes together in under 15 minutes of prep.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or canola or melted coconut oil)
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (full-fat)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 large egg yolk (for cream cheese swirl)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for cream cheese swirl)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides, or grease generously.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg until no lumps remain.
  3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add eggs, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Batter will be thick but smooth.
  4. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add ¼ cup sugar, egg yolk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until completely smooth (about 1 minute with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a fork).
  5. Pour half of the pumpkin batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Drop 6-8 dollops of cream cheese mixture over the batter. Pour remaining pumpkin batter on top, then add remaining cream cheese mixture in dollops. Gently swirl with a butter knife or skewer in 4-5 figure-eight motions—do not over-swirl.
  6. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center (avoiding cream cheese pockets) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil at 40 minutes.
  7. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment overhang and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (at least 1 hour).

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Do not overmix batter to avoid dense bread. For the swirl, use gentle figure-eight motions to create distinct ribbons. Cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. Bread tastes even better the next day. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate if warm. Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin bread, cream cheese swirl, fall baking, one-bowl recipe, easy pumpkin bread, pumpkin dessert, cream cheese pumpkin bread

Find it online: https://snappyspoon.com/perfect-one-bowl-pumpkin-bread-with-cream-cheese-swirl-recipe/