The Best Things About Fall
Fall is officially here and we are very happy about it. What makes Fall for you? Is it the changing colors of the leaves, tall leather boots, cozy sweaters, football, apples? For us it’s pumpkin! After all, isn’t Fall really just a holiday to celebrate all things pumpkin? Whether we are standing in line for a pumpkin spice latte, carving a pumpkin or making pumpkin goodies, pumpkin evokes coziness — our recipe for Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread is no exception.
A welcoming to Fall like no other, this Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread is like a warm and cozy hug. Imagine, if you will, a perfectly spiced pumpkin mixture baked into a moist and rich bread. Then slathered with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. Oh, and we like a little crunch so we had to sprinkle the top with candied pumpkin seeds. Yum!
History of Pumpkin Spice
Variations of pumpkin spice have been around since as early at the 1700’s. American Cookery published a recipe called, “pompkin”. This is not a typo, but rather an alternative spelling. Pompkin, called for a mixture of mace, nutmeg and ginger to season the pompkin mixture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin_pie_spice
What is Pumpkin Spice Made Of?
Is today’s pumpkin spice the same as it was in the 1700’s? Not exactly. Pumpkin spice is a special mix of spices more commonly known to season a pumpkin pie. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves are the standard. The right portions of each are pre-mixed, bottled and then shelved for sale during the Fall.
We know pumpkin spice more recently in the ever trending pumpkin spiced latte. This growing trend has caught on to candles, air fresheners, coffee creamers, cookies, you name it.
For our purposes though we are going to be using it in a fall-favorite Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread that will be a tasty slice of all the pumpkin deliciousness this season calls for.
Difference Between Pumpkin Spice Bread and Pumpkin Spice Cake
Let’s dive a bit deeper into what a Pumpkin Spice Bread is. It is a cross between a bread and a cake. The bread part being that it is baked in a loaf pan similar to bread. However, it is moist and dense like a cake.
It is sweet, but the warm spices also help make it perfect for a family dinner side dish that could easily replace the common dinner roll. It would also make a nice breakfast alternative to cinnamon rolls or donuts.
Due to its sweetness and cream cheese frosting it would also make a wonderful dessert or treat. Because it is seasonal, everyone would be excited to have a slice or two to celebrate any occasion or just because.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Bread
Natures Yoke Legacy Free Range Eggs
Good quality eggs are key to all great baked goods. Our Legacy Free Range Eggs are the eggs that started it all for us so, of course, they are the perfect choice for our Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread.
Our free-range hens are raised on Certified Humane family farms, which means there are no cages and the hens have access to pasture-like outdoor spaces for at least 6 hours per day. Except, of course, when it’s very cold or hot outside.
When our hens are indoors, they also get the extra special care that Certified Humane requires, with roomy nesting boxes, places to perch and move about and no overcrowding.
Many families like yours have recently become aware of how hens are raised at conventional farms and, as a result, have decided to buy only free-range eggs. That makes Nature’s Yoke Legacy Free-Range Eggs the perfect choice.
Pumpkin
We talked about pumpkin spice a lot but we really need to talk about pumpkin in and of itself. Real pumpkin is what makes this bread super moist and dense. It adds to the rich texture and is a must for any pumpkin bread. Whether you use a freshly harvested pumpkin from a local family farm, or a healthy canned pumpkin option (as we do in this recipe), the pumpkin makes all the difference. We wouldn’t have Frosted Pumpkin Spice bread without it.
Pumpkin Spice
As mentioned above, the right blend of spices is key when baking with pumpkin. The balance should be an excellent mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. It’s this warm and flavorful taste that enrich and make the natural pumpkin flavor pop.
Cream Cheese Frosting
We never met a frosting we didn’t like. And we’re keeping it simple so the Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread shines. This sweet, creamy and tangy frosting is the perfect way to compliment all these fall flavors and provide a touch of decadence.
Tips For A Great Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread
All ingredients should be room temperature, for the bread and for the frosting. This will make sure the bread bakes up evenly throughout and that the frosting is smooth and creamy.
This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree. If you are using canned pumpkin (which is what we did) it is the equivalent of one 15 oz can. Be sure though that it is just “pumpkin” and NOT “Pumpkin Pie Filling”. They are not the same thing. You want the ingredients to be pumpkin only.
Line your loaf pan with parchment leaving a little hanging over the sides. This will allow you pull the bread out of the pan once cool.
When making your frosting, if you notice you have small specs of cream cheese that won’t blend let mixture sit for 20 minutes (give or take). You want your cream cheese to come to room temp. Once at room temperature the specs should blend into the mixture nicely.
We used walnuts in our bread but if you’d prefer another nut, we suggest pecans or almonds. You may also omit nuts altogether. The bread and frosting do perfectly on their own.
So that’s it, all you need to know about pumpkin spice and this delicious Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bread. We hope you enjoy every single bite as much as we did!
FROSTED PUMPKIN SPICE BREAD
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Bread
- 3 Large Nature's Yoke Legacy Free Range Eggs
- 3/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ginger (we used dried)
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting
- 3 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Nature's Yoke Legacy Free Range Egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Bread
- Preheat oven to 350º F
- Line bread pan with parchment paper, set aside. Our bread pan was 9x5x3.
- In medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger.
- In large bowl whisk in the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.
- Stir in the pumpkin.
- Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour batter into prepared bread pan.
- Bake 65 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely.
Frosting
- In bowl or mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter.
- With mixer on low add in the powdered sugar, then add in the milk.
- Mix well until combined.
- Spread over the top of the bread, sprinkle with candied pumpkin seeds.
- Store in cool, dry place.
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- Mix pumpkins seeds and egg whites together.
- Next add the sugars and cinnamon. Mix very well so pumpkin seeds are coated.
- Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Scrape out all the seeds and the sugar mixture onto baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 300º F. Mixture will puff up as it bakes and will turn light golden brown.
- Let cool, mixture will deflate once it begins to cool. Then break up by hand or chop into pieces.
- Sprinkle on top of the cream cheese frosting.
