Pumpkin Loaf

What You'll Need to Make This Pumpkin Loaf

All-purpose flour — Standard plain flour is all you need here. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off — don't scoop directly from the bag, which packs it down and can make the loaf dense.

Canned pumpkin puree — Use 100% pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, which will throw off the balance of the whole recipe. I like Libby's, which is consistently thick and flavourful. Avoid fresh pumpkin unless you've cooked and drained it very well — the extra moisture will affect the bake.

Pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon — This combination is what gives the loaf that deep, warmly spiced flavour. Pumpkin pie spice typically contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice — it's doing a lot of work in one teaspoon. I add a full extra teaspoon of cinnamon on top of that because I find it rounds out the warmth beautifully. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own (see the substitution section below).

Oil — Vegetable or canola oil keeps this loaf moist for days in a way that butter alone doesn't. I've made this with melted butter and while it tastes lovely fresh, it dries out noticeably faster. Oil is the better choice for a loaf you want to enjoy all week.

Cream cheese — Full-fat block cream cheese only. Do not use spreadable cream cheese from a tub — it has a higher water content and produces an icing that is too soft and won't hold its shape on top of the loaf.

Also needed: granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. For the icing: powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla.

Ingredient Substitutes

No pumpkin pie spice? Make your own by combining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon allspice or cloves. This will give you roughly 1 ½ teaspoon of homemade blend — the same amount the recipe calls for. The flavour is essentially identical.

Oil swap — You can substitute the vegetable oil with melted coconut oil (refined, for no coconut flavour) or an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce for a lower-fat version. The applesauce version comes out slightly denser with a softer crumb. I haven't personally tested it with butter but readers report it works — just know the loaf will be best eaten within the first day or two.

Gluten-free — I haven't tested this one myself, but a good 1:1 gluten-free plain flour blend should work here. Add an extra egg to help with structure and let the batter rest for 5 minutes before baking to allow the flour to hydrate properly.

Dairy-free icing — You can use dairy-free cream cheese (like Violife or Kite Hill) and dairy-free butter in equal quantities. The icing will be slightly less tangy but still delicious. Add the powdered sugar a little more slowly, as dairy-free cream cheese can split if overworked.

How to Make Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Icing

This is a one-bowl bake — the dry ingredients go into one bowl, the wet into another, and then everything comes together with a gentle fold. No stand mixer needed for the loaf itself, and the icing only takes a hand mixer or a bit of elbow grease.

Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Preheat

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease your 9×5-inch loaf pan well — I use a little butter rubbed into all the corners — then line it with parchment paper and leave a good overhang on the two long sides. Those flaps of parchment are your handles when it comes time to lift the loaf out without it crumbling. It takes ten seconds and saves a lot of frustration later.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Whisking rather than just stirring makes sure the leavening agents are evenly distributed — you don't want a pocket of baking soda on one side of the loaf.

Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, the eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and milk. Keep whisking until the batter looks glossy and smooth — the sugars should be mostly dissolved. The mixture will be a rich deep orange at this point, and it smells incredible even before anything goes in the oven.

Step 4: Combine and Pour

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold them together with a spatula. This is the step where most people go wrong — stop mixing as soon as you can't see dry flour streaks. Overworking the batter develops the gluten in the flour and produces a tough, rubbery loaf. Fold, don't stir. The batter will be quite thick and glossy. Pour it into the prepared pan and smooth the surface flat.

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 350°F for 60–65 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted into the very center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it — not clean (that means it's overdone) and not wet (still needs time). The top should be deep golden brown and feel springy when lightly pressed. One important tip: if the top is browning faster than the center is cooking through, tent a piece of foil loosely over the top from about the 45-minute mark and keep baking. The foil slows the surface browning without stopping the center from cooking. Don't open the oven before 45 minutes or the loaf may sink in the middle.

Step 6: Cool Completely

This step is non-negotiable. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour — ideally two. If you ice a warm loaf, the cream cheese icing will melt right into the surface and slide off the sides. I know it's tempting to cut in early, but the crumb also needs that time to set properly. Slicing a hot quick bread gives you a gummy, doughy texture even when it's fully baked.

Step 7: Make the Cream Cheese Icing

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth with no lumps. If either is cold, the icing will be lumpy and won't smooth out no matter how long you beat it — so pull them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start. Add the sifted powdered sugar in two additions, then add the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat until the icing is fluffy and holds its shape. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you want — thick enough to pile up on the loaf without running off the sides, but soft enough to spread.

Step 8: Ice and Serve

Pile the icing on top of the cooled loaf. I like to put a big mound right in the center and use an offset spatula (or just a butter knife) to push it outward and let it fall naturally over the edges in thick waves — just like in the photo. You don't need it to be perfectly smooth. Those swirls and swooshes are exactly what it should look like. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping it clean between cuts for neat edges.