Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread

Plenty of people wait all year long for September to roll around so they can have pumpkin spice everything.  But this bread is so delicious I think I can eat it year round.

This cream cheese filled pumpkin bread is wonderful because it’s not over-the-top decadent. It’s just sweet enough, and the creamy cream cheese filling makes it really special.
This pumpkin bread is just as pretty as it is scrumptious. That’s the mark of a great pumpkin dessert.

You will LOVE this delicious cream cheese filled pumpkin bread with your coffee in the mornings, and it’s fantastic to send along with your husband as a quick and easy to-go breakfast when he’s rushing out the door to work.
Your kids love this bread too.  Send a little piece in their lunch boxes this week.

 One important note: when you go to layer your batter and filling in the pan, you put 1/3 of the batter in, then the cream cheese filling, then the rest of the batter. Make sure that the first layer is only about 1/3 of the batter. If that first layer is too thick, the bottom of the bread won’t bake through properly.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
1 hour 15 minutes to prepare
serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the bread:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt


For the filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

For the bread:
In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin puree with an electric mixer on medium until well combined.
Add the cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, and salt, and mix until incorporated. Gradually add the flour and mix until just combined.

For cream cheese filling:
In a separate medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium until smooth and creamy.
Add the egg, sugar, vanilla and flour, and mix until smooth and well-blended.
Pour 1/3 of the pumpkin batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spoon the cream cheese filling over the batter and spread it out evenly with a rubber spatula. Pour remaining 2/3 of the batter over the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65-75 minutes. (The toothpick might have some cream cheese stuck to it.) If top and sides are looking too brown, tent the pan with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
 

From Dear Crissy.