Valentina Ablaev
This pumpkin swirl bread is the fall dessert of all desserts! It’s soft and fluffy, but what takes it to the next level is the cream cheese swirl. It’s layered into the center of the loaf and adds an incredible flavor and moisture to the bread that you simply can’t beat!
Pumpkin Season
When fall comes around, pumpkin everything is a must! This easy pumpkin swirl bread is a beautiful combination of our cream cheese pumpkin roll and our pumpkin cheesecake muffins. There’s something about pumpkin and cream cheese that works so well together, and it’s why this swirl bread is a must-try.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pumpkin Swirl Bread
- Sugar – We use brown sugar and cane sugar to create a delicious molasses flavor in the bread.
- Wet batter –The wet mix, made with eggs, oil, and milk, produces fluffy and delicious bread.
- Pumpkin – Canned pumpkin puree is an easy and affordable way to incorporate pumpkin into your desserts.
- Dry ingredients: A classic mix of flour, baking powder, and baking soda is taken to the next level with the addition of pumpkin pie spice seasoning.
- Walnuts – A topping of crunchy walnuts is a great touch in this baked pumpkin bread.
- Cream cheese layer – The cream cheese layer is made with cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for a delicious cheesecake flavor.
- Glaze – is a classic mix of powdered sugar and milk, making for a tasty drizzle.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Tools for this Recipe
Shop Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- We use our trusty bread loaf pan to make this pumpkin swirl bread.
- An electric hand mixer makes the mixing process easy—you don’t need to get out the huge mixer!
Pumpkin Bread Variations
- Frosting: Though we love this glaze, a cream cheese frosting is tempting! Our cream cheese frosting would be the perfect cherry for this pumpkin bread.
How to Make Pumpkin Swirl Bread
- Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the brown and granulated sugars with the eggs until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
2. Add pumpkin. Mix in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla.
3. Flour mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Stir into the pumpkin mixture and beat until combined.
4. Cream cheese layer. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in another bowl until smooth.
5. Pour. Pour half of the pumpkin batter into a prepared loaf pan,
6. Cream cheese layer. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter.
5. Final layer. Add the remaining batter on top and sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top.
6. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Whisk together sugar and milk for the glaze, then drizzle over the cooled loaf.
Valentina’s Tip & Tricks
- Don’t overbeat the batter – When making a fluffy loaf, be careful not to overmix it. Overmixing the batter can lead to the overdevelopment of gluten, resulting in a dry pumpkin bread.
- Use pure pumpkin purée – not pumpkin pie filling (which has added sugar and spices).
- Cool the pumpkin bread—You must allow the bread to cool completely before adding the drizzle; otherwise, it will melt and not look good.
How to Store Pumpkin Swirl Bread
- Storage. To store pumpkin bread, wrap it tightly in the fridge for peak freshness.
- Can you freeze pumpkin bread? Extend the shelf life of pumpkin bread in the freezer! Cut the pumpkin bread into individual slices and wrap tightly. Freeze and store for up to 3 months. Thaw: Add the pumpkin bread to the fridge overnight
More Dessert Recipes
If you enjoyed this pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl recipe, be sure to try our other fall dessert recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you try this pumpkin swirl bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below—we appreciate it!
Pumpkin Swirl Bread
Ingredients
pumpkin bread –
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup solid-pack pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
cream cheese layer –
glaze –
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the brown and granulated sugar with the eggs until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin spice. Stir gently to combine, then mix with the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy.
- Pour half of the batter into the bread loaf, add the cream cheese mixture, then top with the remaining batter.
- Distribute the chopped walnuts over the batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
- Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
- Whisk together the sugar and milk for the glaze. Drizzle over the top of the loaf.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter. When mixing the batter, be careful not to overmix it. Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until no streaks remain.
- Store leftovers. For peak freshness, store the leftover bread in a tightly wrapped or airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze bread. Cut the bread into individual slices and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze and store for up to 3 months. To thaw the bread, place the slice in the fridge overnight and enjoy it the next day.
Nutrition
FAQs
We love our pumpkin banana bread, and while the combination sounds incredible, the cream cheese layer won’t work the same. The cream cheese layer adds additional moisture to the already wet banana bread.
You want to use pumpkin puree for this recipe. Whether you use canned or homemade pumpkin puree, the results will be delicious!
When this happens, it’s usually a sign that the oven was too hot. The bread will still taste delicious as it’s just a matter of appearance.
The best way to tell if the bread is cooked through is to use a toothpick. Poke the center, and it’s done if it comes out clean of the pumpkin batter!
