Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bread

by | Sep 27, 2022

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Cream cheese swirl pumpkin bread that’s moist, flavorful, and perfect for a fall breakfast, brunch, and snacking.

cut slices of the pumpkin bread showing the cream cheese swirl

About the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

I’m someone who loves cream cheese with desserts. Whether it be with a cream cheese frosting, or a cream cheese dip, I love the flavor and texture that it provides.
With this pumpkin cream cheese bread, it offers the sweet cream cheese taste, but meshing it with a delicious fall spiced pumpkin bread. Creating a tasteful, moist, and soft combination.

loaf of the pumpkin bread with the cream cheese swirl on top
a loaf cut into, focusing on the top and texture with the cream cheese swirl

Does Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread Need to Be Refrigerated?

Most baked goods with cream cheese need to be put in the refrigerator. But that’s recipes with a lot of cream cheese like a cheesecake or even a danish. I would put this bread in the fridge no later than 5-6 days after baking it. My little boy and I have been snacking on slices of this bread throughout the week, and it tastes great at a warm temp, room temperature, and cooled too. So don’t worry that it won’t be as good if you put it in the fridge!
We just want to make sure that no bacteria is growing at all, which can happen with any bread, not just this bread with cream cheese.

up close texture of the pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swooping swirl

How Do I Get the Cream Cheese Swirl?

Layer and layer! I started by layering ⅔ of the bread mixture first, then I layered on ⅔ of the cream cheese mixture. After that, you put the rest of the pumpkin bread mixture on top, then dollop large lines of the cream cheese mixture on top. I used a spoon; you could use a knife, spatula, whatever you’d like. I then just swirl the mixtures together back and forth length wise to the pan, making sure not to push too deep onto the bread. You don’t want to go past the top layers.

pumpkin bread batter in a loaf pan
pumpkin bread batter in a loaf pan with cream cheese mixture on top
pumpkin bread batter layered with batter on top in a loaf pan
pumpkin bread batter layering in a loaf pan with 3 large dollops of cream cheese on top
pumpkin bread batter in a loaf pan swirled with the cream cheese mixture

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Swirl Bread Recipe Ingredients

Canned Pumpkin – The star of this pumpkin bread recipe. This recipe uses the whole can of pumpkin, as it makes two pumpkin loaves.

Cream Cheese – The other star of this recipe. It helps balance the pumpkin bread flavor and create a delicious sweet taste.

Lemon Juice – This is used to help brighten, and also helps the cream cheese swirl mixture to stay together and thicken up.

a cut into loaf from the front showing the cream cheese mixture in the bread

How to Make Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bread

Prepare the Loaf Pans

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray the 9×5 loaf pans with oil, and lightly coat all the sides and bottom of the pans with flour. Set the pans aside.

Making the Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bread Batter

  1. Combine the canned pumpkin, white sugar, brown sugar, and oil together in a bowl. Mix until combined.
  2. Add the eggs and water, and still until they are incorporated.
  3. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the batter together.
  4. Set the bowl to the side.

Making the Cream Cheese Mixture

  1. Dump the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl. Mix until combined.
  2. Add in the egg and stir in.
  3. Add the flour, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until it becomes creamy.
  4. Set the bowl to the side.

Layering the Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread

  1. Add about ⅔ of the pumpkin bread mixture.
  2. On top of the bread mixture, add about ⅔ of the cream cheese mixture. Using a spatula, lightly push the cream cheese to the sides, covering the pumpkin batter.
  3. Then, add the rest of the pumpkin bread mixture on top. Using a spatula, again, push the batter to sides to cover the cream cheese mixture.
  4. Now, dollop the rest of the cream cheese mixture in horizontal lines. Using a spoon (or spatula, knife, etc.) lightly push slightly down into the mixture, and swirl back in forth with long strokes lengthwise.
  5. Repeat for the second loaf pan.

Baking the Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bread

  1. Place the loaf pans into the oven and bake for 70-75 minutes. Using a toothpick, check to make sure the dough is cooked. There will be some moist crumbs once done, but if it’s still unbaked, there will be batter on the toothpick once pulled out.
  2. Let the breads cool on a cooling wire rack for about an hour. Once cooled, flip over the pans and place the breads onto the wire rack. Enjoy the bread!

Baking Tips

  1. If there is batter still, keep your eye on the bread and bake in 3-5 minute intervals.
  2. Also, if the bread top is getting too dark brown/clearly starting to burn (most likely won’t happen), place tinfoil over the top of the bread, and continue to bake.

Now go and make this seriously easy pumpkin bread recipe! It’ll make your home smell like fall weather is on it’s way. Oh, and you’ll have delicious bread to enjoy too.

3 pieces of cut pumpkin bread

Looking for more delicious bread recipes? Try these:
Blueberry Almond Bread
Chai Spice Banana Bread
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Easy Zucchini Bread
Apricot Bread

cut slices of the pumpkin bread showing the cream cheese swirl

Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 9x5 loaves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Cream cheese swirl pumpkin bread that’s moist, flavorful, and perfect for a fall breakfast, brunch, and snacking.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bread Mixture

  • 15 oz canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 C (10.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C (12 oz) brown sugar
  • 1 C (8 oz) oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2/3 C (5.3 oz) water
  • 3 1/4 C (14.7 oz) all purpose flour
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1 1/2 t table salt
  • 2 t cinnamon, heaping
  • 1 t nutmeg

Cream Cheese Mixture

  • 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 2/3 C (4.6 oz) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 T all purpose flour
  • 1 t lemon juice
  • 1 t vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray the 9x5 loaf pans with oil, and lightly coat all the sides and bottom of the pans with flour. Set the pans aside.

Making the Pumpkin Bread Batter

  1. Using a mixer, dump in the canned pumpkin, sugars, and oil. Stir until well mixed. Then add the eggs and water, stir until combined.
  2. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix the batter until all the ingredients are incorporated.
  3. Set the bowl to the side.

Making the Cream Cheese Mixture

  1. Dump the cream cheese into a mixing bowl, as well as the sugar. Mix until the sugar is incorporated with the cream cheese.
  2. Add in the egg and mix until combined.
  3. Mix in the flour, lemon juice, and vanilla until the mixture is creamy.
  4. Set the bowl to the side.

Layering the Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread

  1. Add about ⅔ of the pumpkin bread mixture.
  2. On top of the bread mixture, add about ⅔ of the cream cheese mixture. Using a spatula, lightly push the cream cheese to the sides, covering the pumpkin batter.
  3. Then, add the rest of the pumpkin bread mixture on top. Using a spatula, again, push the batter to sides to cover the cream cheese mixture.
  4. Now, dollop the rest of the cream cheese mixture in horizontal lines. Using a spoon (or spatula, knife, etc.) lightly push slightly down into the mixture, and swirl back in forth with long strokes lengthwise.
  5. Repeat for the second loaf pan.

Baking the Pumpkin Bread

  1. Place the loaf pans into the oven and bake for 70-75 minutes. Using a toothpick, check to make sure the dough is cooked. There will be some moist crumbs once done, but if it's still unbaked, there will be batter on the toothpick once pulled out.
  2. Let cool on a cooling wire rack for about an hour. Once cooled, gently flip the bread out onto the cooling rack. Enjoy!

Notes

  • If there is batter still, keep your eye on the bread and bake in 3-5 minute intervals.
  • Also, if the bread top is getting too dark brown/clearly starting to burn (most likely won't happen), place tinfoil over the top of the bread, and continue to bake.
  • cream cheese swirl pumpkin bread pinterest pin

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    Hi, I’m Missy. Welcome to Taste Before Beauty. For 28 years I’ve been developing recipes that taste delicious, before they look delicious.

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