Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Name: Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 cup of butter, softened; 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar; 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar; 3 large eggs; 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract; 2 1/2 cups of pure pumpkin puree; 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 1 teaspoon of baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder; 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon of nutmeg; 1 teaspoon of cloves; 1/2 teaspoon of all spice; 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom (optional)

September 25, 2023

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It is officially fall, so pumpkin recipes have come back into rotation. I cook and bake with pumpkin year round, but these recipes start to lean more towards comfort food and desserts the cooler the temps get.

This spiced pumpkin bread is a “quick bread”, so it requires no yeast, no proofing and no kneading. You just mix the ingredients and bake it up. It is perfect for everything from breakfast to dessert and pairs perfectly with a mug of something warm and creamy.

The flavors in the spiced pumpkin bread are exactly what you would want out of a great fall bread. Boldly pumpkin with warm spices and just the right amount of sweetness. The crumb is tender and moist and this bread stays soft for days.

If you are looking for a fabulous pumpkin bread recipe to keep on hand during the fall baking season then I would love for you to give this one a try.

Let’s get started…

Let’s start with the pumpkin. This recipe makes 2 loaves and we will be adding 2 1/2 cups of pure pumpkin puree into the batter to make sure they are tender, moist and full of pumpkin flavor.

If you want to make your own pumpkin puree, check out my super simple recipe here. It is so easy to make right in your own kitchen using 1 ingredient… whole pumpkins. Slice, roast, blend, done.

If you are using canned pumpkin puree, I love Libby’s pure pumpkin puree, but any pure pumpkin puree will work. Be sure that you are adding pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling to this recipe. Although they look very similar and are sold right next to each other, the pumpkin pie filling contains sweeteners, spices and unfortunately some additives that I try to avoid. Stick with the pure pumpkin here.

In addition to the pumpkin, you will need 1 cup of butter, 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar, 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of all spice and an optional 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom. Cardamom adds a uniquely floral and citrusy layer to the overall flavor of the spices in this bread that I love, but if you do not have it on hand, no worries!

Add a cup of softened butter into a large bowl along with 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar and 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar. If you forgot to leave 2 sticks of butter out at room temperature, simply pop them into the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until it is easy to make an indent with your finger. You do not want the butter melted, just softened enough to easily cream with the sugars.

Use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugars together until they are fully combined.

Now add 3 large eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and continue mixing until everything is smooth and creamy.

Add 2 1/2 cups of pure pumpkin puree and mix until completely incorporated.

To add the dry ingredients, you can either combine them in a separate bowl or place a mesh sifter over the bowl and sift them into the pumpkin mixture.

Add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of all spice and 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom and mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl as you mix and once you no longer see dry ingredients, stop mixing. This will help you avoid over mixing the batter and over mixed batter can create tough bread and who wants that?

Grease two 9″x5″ loaf pans and line them with parchment paper. I like to cut a long strip of parchment paper about the width of the base of the pan and then I lay it into the loaf pan leaving the excess hanging off the sides (like in the photo above). The excess will serve as handles to help you easily removed the loaves after they are baked.

Bake the loaves in a 325 degree oven for 70-75 minutes.

These loaves are fully baked once a toothpick will come out of the center clean. The tops of the loaves should also feel set and springy to a light touch.

Transfer the loaf pans onto a cooling rack and let them cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring the loaves out onto the cooling rack.

Use a sharp or serrated knife to slice your loaves into generous portions and get ready to fall in love with fall flavors big time…

This spiced pumpkin bread is so tender and moist and if you add a little bit of salted butter over a warm slice, you are probably going to warm up and butter every slice from that point forward. There is just something very special about this pumpkin bread and you are going to be very happy that you made 2 loaves, because the first one will go fast.

Cheers to pumpkin season my friends!

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