Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

One of my favorite flavor combinations is pumpkin and cream cheese. They go together so well and compliment each other. This pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl is part dessert and part breakfast - it would be delicious as dessert on your Thanksgiving table or even for Thanksgiving breakfast. It is also a great hostess gift to give if you are going to someone’s house for Thanksgiving.

So in these final days before the Christmas holidays begin, let’s get in as much pumpkin as possible.

Couple notes on the recipe. First make sure not to over-swirl the the cream cheese and pumpkin batter together. If you over-swirl it, there is a chance that the cream cheese mixture will be absorbed into the pumpkin batter. It will still taste good but you won’t have that fun swirl. Also when mixing the cream cheese filling together, if the consistency gets to watery - just pop it in the refrigerator for a couple minutes and let it thicken up before scooping into the baking pan.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

For the pumpkin bread

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 Tbs ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp. ground cloves

• 1 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 cup sugar

• 6 Tbs. melted buter

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

For the cream cheese swirl

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 Tbs. flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving about a 2” overhang on the long sides of the pan.

Make the batter by whisking together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Make the cream cheese swirl by beating together with a hand held mixer or a whisk the cream cheese, flour, sugar, and egg. Place in the refrigerator while the rest of the pumpkin bread batter is made.

Spoon 1/3 of the pumpkin bread batter into the prepared dish. Top with scoops of the cream cheese mixture followed by scoops of the pumpkin batter. Repeat the scoops with the remaining cream cheese mixture and pumpkin bread batter. Place a knife into the batter and swirl together- be careful not to over swirl or the cream cheese will be absorbed into the pumpkin part of the batter.

Bake pumpkin bread for about 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf of pumpkin bread.