Frosted Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, soft pumpkin spice loaf topped with homemade cream cheese frosting. This frosted pumpkin bread is the perfect Fall treat.

As soon as September hits, I am making pumpkin bread on repeat. I love my pumpkin bread recipe with brown sugar streusel and it has been super popular.

But I wanted to take it up a notch with a creamy homemade vanilla bean cream cheese frosting which pairs perfectly with pumpkin spice. Since pumpkin spice is full of warm, robust spices, the delicate, tangy yet sweet cream cheese frosting is the perfect balance.

Why you will love this Frosted Pumpkin Loaf:

• It is perfectly moist with the addition of oil, cream cheese, and buttermilk.
• The velvety smooth cream cheese frosting is literally the icing on the cake and just elevates this frosted pumpkin bread recipe.
• This is so easy to make ahead of time and stays fresh for days. It freezes beautifully so you can take it out when your guests arrive.

Frosted Pumpkin Bread Ingredients:

It all starts off with a moist pumpkin spiced loaf and topped with a simple homemade cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Loaf Ingredients:

• Pure Pumpkin Puree — when making this frosted pumpkin bread, use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is just pumpkin, while pumpkin pie filling contains added sugars and spices.
• Cinnamon — adds warmth and aromatics to the pumpkin bread so add more if you want more depth of flavor.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice — adjust the spices to your taste. If you prefer a spicier bread, you can increase the amount of pumpkin pie spice.
• Brown Sugar
• Sugar
• Oil — makes this the perfect moist pumpkin bread. I suggest using your favorite type of oil.
• Cream Cheese — this adds a rich, creaminess to the pumpkin bread. I suggest using room-temperature cream cheese so it easily mixes into the batter.
• Eggs
• Buttermilk — this helps to create a tender texture in the pumpkin bread.
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Butter — use softened, salted butter in this recipe.
• Cream Cheese — use softened, full-fat cream cheese.
• Powdered Sugar — for a stiffer, sweeter frosting, you may add more powdered sugar
• Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste — I love to use vanilla bean paste or scraped vanilla beans from a vanilla bean pod for the most pronounced vanilla flavor.

Instructions:

1. Start off by cooking pumpkin puree over medium heat. This helps to create a perfect pumpkin flavor since it is the star ingredient. Let it cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add a mixture of oil, cream cheese, and buttermilk to add moisture and create a tender texture. These ingredients will make soft, tender pumpkin loaf.
3. Add cinnamon and pumpkin spice to compliment the flavor of the pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients.
4. Pour into greased pans and bake just until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. If the sides of becoming overbaked, cover the bread with foil until the center completely bakes through.
5. Once the pumpkin loaf has cooled, make the cream cheese frosting and frost the pumpkin bread.

Substitutions and Variations:

If you don’t love cream cheese frosting, you can make a classic vanilla frosting instead with just butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a touch of cream

Storing, Making Ahead, and Freezing:

This pumpkin loaf with cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time. Since it is topped with cream cheese frosting, I suggest covering it well and refrigerating it.

This pumpkin loaf freezes beautifully in a freezer-safe container.

Popular Pumpkin Recipes:

If you love pumpkin recipes, check out my best pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, award-winning pumpkin pie, and pumpkin layered cake recipe.

Best Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Saucepan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies