This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is a must try for fall baking. It is tender and delicious with the perfect amount of spice, and has a delicious cream cheese filling.
Don’t you just love baking up quick breads? No yeast, no rising time, just a few minutes of prep, and you have loaves of sweet delicious bread. This one has a ribbon of cream cheese filling in the middle, just like my chocolate zucchini cream cheese bread. Both of them are amazing!
So, I found an old cookbook binder shoved in the back of my pantry that I haven’t seen in years. (I know, that’s kind of pitiful.) It is full of recipes that I printed out before I even started blogging. After I would try a recipe, I would leave a note.
I am so glad I found it, because some of them had notes like “this was awesome!”, and “best soup ever”, etc. Can’t wait to make them all again and share them with you!
As soon as I saw this recipe for cream cheese filled pumpkin bread, I knew it had to be the first one I tried. The note on that page said “seriously yummy!”, and I remembered how much I loved it.
The pumpkin bread itself is nice and moist, and would probably be delicious even without the filling. But the filling. Oh my. It is soooo good! It has a hint of orange flavor, and it pairs so nicely with the pumpkin and cinnamon flavors.
And of course you know my affection for cream cheese. I panic when we don’t have a package in the fridge. It’s a staple in my baking. The cream cheese layer in this pumpkin bread has a bit of orange zest in it.
We love the fresh flavor! However, you can omit it if you like, or add come cinnamon or nutmeg if you prefer.
If you love pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, I bet you’ll love this bread. Some of the same flavors, but not quite as sweet, so you can totally eat it for breakfast without guilt!
How to make Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients needed:
- cream cheese (I use light cream cheese for my filling, but full fat cream cheese works fine)
- sugar
- flour
- eggs
- orange zest (adds a fresh taste to the filling that surprisingly pairs really well with the cinnamon)
- pumpkin puree
- vegetable oil
- baking soda
- salt
- cinnamon (you can’t have pumpkin bread without cinnamon!)
First up, you beat together cream cheese with some sugar, an egg, a bit of flour, and some orange zest.
The batter is simple too. Beat together your wet ingredients, then stir in your dry ingredients. Divide half of the batter between two greased loaf pans, then spread half of the filling in each pan. Spread remaining pumpkin batter on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Bake the loaves for about 55 minutes at 325 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Does Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread need to be refrigerated?
Technically, since it has cream cheese in it, you should store the bread in the refrigerator. That being said, I always store mine at room temperature as long as the room is on the cool side (not in the middle of summer). Mine lasts at room temperature for 2-3 days, it will store in the refrigerator for a bit longer than that.
If you want to freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, or a layer of plastic wrap inside a ziplock bag. It will keep in the freezer for 3-5 months.
Pro Tips:
-Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so you get a smooth filling. Cold cream cheese leads to lumps.
-Spray the loaf pans really well with non-stick spray, and line the bottoms with parchment paper to avoid any sticking.
More mouthwatering pumpkin bread recipes:
- Frosted Coconut Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Chips
- Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 oz light cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp orange zest
Batter
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 8×4″ loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper, set aside.
- For filling: Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a small mixing bowl till smooth. Add flour, egg, and orange zest. Beat till creamy; set aside.
- For batter: In large mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, and eggs. Whisk together sugar, flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into pumpkin mixture.
- Add about a fourth of the batter to each pan. Carefully spread the filling mixture over the batter in each pan. Spread the remaining batter over the filling in each pan.
- Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool.
Nutrition
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Looks so good ! Can’t wait to make it !! Thanks for sharing ! 😁
What size can of pumpkin?
does this freeze well. I have homemade pumpkin puree and need to use it up. I am wondering how well this freezes…thinking of giving them for Xmas gifts if it does.
Wow! This looks so good!!!
Thanks so much Rachel! It’s one of my very favorite pumpkin bread recipes. I love pretty much anything with cream cheese!