Joanna Gaines' Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Excellent Fall Quick-bread!

Photo from Taste of Home website

I've always wondered why these are called "quick" breads...they take at least an hour to bake! LOL! But, I must say, they're always worth the wait. I think I just found the prize standard for Pumpkin Bread too, with its' wonderful fall spices and tangy cream cheese, this is truly a winner in my book!

I was watching Joanna Gaines make this beautiful pumpkin loaf the other day on her show and then was thrilled when I found it online and get to share it with all the other pumpkin lovers out there! 

It's not a difficult recipe to make and since I make pumpkin bread with a cream cheese spread every year, I thought, "What a great way to combine the two!" Yes, I should have thought of this ages ago...but it's never too late to kick up a favorite recipe. Right?

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

Pumpkin Bread:

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cloves (If desired)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

8 Tbsp. butter

1 egg

1/3 cup whole milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350'F. Prepare a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth. Gradually add in the dry ingredients mixture, mixing slowly until just combine. Mix for 30 seconds on medium-high speed.

Layer the batter:

Scoop one-third of the pumpkin batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread half of the cream cheese filling over the top with a spatula. Add another third of the pumpkin batter. Spread the rest of the cream cheese filling over top and then drop spoonfuls of the remaining pumpkin batter over top.  Use a knife to cut through the batter to create a swirl on top.  

Photo from Taste of Home website

Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Insert a toothpick to be sure it comes out clean.

Once fully baked, remove from oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes in the pan before transferring the loaf to a cooling rack. Cool one hour before serving.

I doubled it, hot out of the oven!

Be encouraged!

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10