Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

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If you love pumpkin bread, this loaf is for you. It’s incredibly moist and tender, with a warm pumpkin pie spice flavor in every slice, and it’s finished with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting that takes it from a simple snack to a real treat. If you don’t want it to be dessert like, leave the cream cheese frosting off and have it with a cup of coffee at breakfast.

This recipe is easy. Mix the wet ingredients, add the dry, and bake. It uses simple pantry ingredients plus a can of pumpkin puree, and you don’t need any special equipment, just a hand mixer or stand mixer. A little buttermilk keeps the crumb soft, and the pumpkin keeps it moist for days.

It’s the pumpkin version of my Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake Loaf, so if you liked that one, you’ll love this. It’s great with coffee for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or as an easy dessert for a fall get-together.

Why I Weigh My Flour

If you take one tip from this recipe, let it be this: weigh your flour. A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 grams, depending on how you scoop it. Dip the cup into the bag and it packs the flour down. Spoon it in lightly and you get much less. That difference can turn a tender, moist loaf into a dry, dense one. A scale gives you the same result every time, and it means one less measuring cup to wash. Here’s the digital baking scale I use.

This is the perfect excuse to pull out your KitchenAid stand mixer. The paddle attachment creams the butter and sugars quickly and evenly, and it mixes in the eggs and buttermilk without any effort. No stand mixer? A hand mixer works just as well.

This loaf keeps well wrapped at room temperature for a few days, and it freezes beautifully. I slice it first so I can pull out one piece at a time for breakfast. Skipping the frosting? Warm a slice briefly and it tastes like it just came out of the oven.

You may also like: Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes, Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake, Banana Bread, Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie Bars

Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

A moist, tender pumpkin loaf with warm fall spice, topped with thick, tangy cream cheese frosting.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Batter
  • ¼ cup ½ stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 240 g all-purpose flour or 2C not packed
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • ½ stick 4 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 8 oz brick cream cheese not whipped, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients: the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree. Use a hand mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer.
  3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  4. Pour into the loaf pan and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
  6. Let the loaf cool completely, then frost.

Notes

  • Weigh your flour. 240 grams is the right amount, and scooping with a measuring cup can pack in too much.
  • Use brick-style cream cheese, not whipped or spreadable, so the frosting stays thick.
  • Let the loaf cool completely before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt and slide off.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting.

Want to see everything else in my kitchen? Check out my full Shop My Kitchen list for more of what I use and love.