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Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl

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This easy one-bowl pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your fall rotation. It’s forgiving enough for a beginner baker, fast enough for a weeknight, and impressive enough to bring to a potluck.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (about 1 ¾ cups)
  • ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup (60ml) milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven. Line your 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches overhang on the long sides. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray.
  2. In your one large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir together with a spatula or wooden spoon until no more streaks of flour remain. A few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
  4. In a small bowl, prepare the cream cheese swirl. Mash the softened cream cheese with a fork or whisk together with the 2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and creamy.
  5. Pour about half of the pumpkin batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the batter in 6 to 8 evenly spaced dollops. Pour the remaining pumpkin batter on top, spreading gently to cover the cream cheese layer.
  6. Take a butter knife or skewer and insert it straight down into the batter. Drag it through in a zigzag pattern from one end of the pan to the other. Repeat perpendicularly to create a crosshatch pattern. Do not over-swirl; two passes in each direction is plenty.
  7. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. At the 50-minute mark, start checking. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes.
  8. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper handles to lift it out and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients matter. Do not overmix the batter. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to allow the cream cheese swirl to set. This bread tastes even better the next day. For a dairy-free version, use plant-based cream cheese and non-dairy milk. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.

Nutrition

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

Find it online: https://zorbmeal.com/easy-one-bowl-pumpkin-bread-with-cream-cheese-swirl/