Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

If you know me at all, you know I have a Starbucks obsession. Really it’s just a coffee obsession, but there is a Starbucks less than 2 blocks from my house. I end up there a lot.

I don’t usually get food there, since I’m going for the caffeine, but if I do I always end up with the pumpkin bread. Once I splurged and got the pumpkin cream cheese muffin though, and my life was changed forever.

As if the pumpkin bread wasn’t good enough, the muffins had the addition of the tangy cream cheese with the sweetness of the pumpkin. Since Kelly already made us pumpkin bread, I knew it wouldn’t be too difficult to alter the recipe a bit.

I think the thing I love most about baking breads is the smell. It’s the best version of potpourri…your house smells good AND you get to eat something! Not sure there is anything better.

Now that it’s officially FALL (!!!) is it acceptable to eat pumpkin flavored everything for the next three months? Because that’s all I want to do!

~Stephanie

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c pumpkin

Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice and salt in mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream sugar, applesauce, eggs and oil until combined. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin.
3. For filling, beat all ingredients until combined.
4. Pour about 1/2 to 1/3 of the pumpkin batter into a greased loaf pan.
5. Gently spread cream cheese filling over pumpkin.
6. Pour the rest of the pumpkin batter over the filling and spread to edges of pan with a spatula.
7. Bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes or until top begins to turn golden brown.