This Pumpkin Streusel Bread is super moist, fluffy and topped with a crunchy streusel topping and a silky browned butter cream cheese icing!
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Post updated: 12/01/19
Pumpkin Streusel Bread
The weather has been horrendous lately. I’m talking freezing rain/snow storms every single day! It’s clear that Winter, once again, can’t wait for its turn and is trying to steal Autumn’s shine. But you know what, I’m not gonna let it, because it’s still November, which means it’s still Fall, which also means it’s still Pumpkin Season!
So I’m going extra crazy on the pumpkin this year. Between last month and now, I’ve shared these pumpkin cupcakes, streusel pumpkin pie, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie bars and now I’m sharing this delicious pumpkin bread with you.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
To get started, you’ll cream together some butter and brown sugar. This step is very important as it gives the bread its light and fluffy texture.
It’s super important for the butter to be at room temperature. That means it should be firm enough for your finger to leave an imprint when you press down on it, not too soft and not too hard. I recommend taking your butter out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you begin to let it come to room temperature.
Since this is a pumpkin recipe, I just had to use brown sugar. It adds a deeper flavour to the bread and really allows the pumpkin flavour to shine.
Next, you’ll add the eggs. I add 2 eggs for extra moisture and structure, then a touch of vanilla for flavour. But the real flavour comes from the full cup of pumpkin purée I added. Not only does the pumpkin purée add our lovely pumpkin flavour, but it also adds moisture. Win, win!
I also added about ¾ cup of sour cream which gives the bread its soft and tender texture. For the dry ingredients, we use all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.
We use a full tablespoon of baking powder, which may seem like a lot, but it creates a nice fluffy loaf. And trust me, it won’t overflow in your pan.
Next we add some salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves which boost the pumpkin flavour in this yummy loaf!
Streusel Topping
You can totally fold in some chopped pecans into the batter, or just keep the entire loaf plain. However, after making this Streusel Pumpkin Pie, I fell in love with the pumpkin/streusel combination so I just had to put some on top of this bread!
The soft and fluffy pumpkin bread paired with the crunchy and flavourful pecan streusel topping is out of this world!
To make the streusel topping, simply throw the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter into a food processor and pulse until everything becomes nice and crumbly. Then mix in the chopped pecans and oats, this is where the fabulous crunch comes from.
If you don’t own a food processor, you can use a fork to cut the butter into the flour, or your hands so you can really get a feel of the butter to make sure it’s crumbled well enough.
Unlike my pumpkin pie, this batter is pretty thick so we won’t need to pre-bake the bread so the top can set before we add the streusel. Just sprinkle on the streusel before putting the bread in the oven and it’ll stay on the top instead of sinking to the bottom.
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Icing
After the bread is done baking and your house is engulfed in the sweet smell of baked pumpkin bread, allow it to cool for a while, then top with a sweet browned butter cream cheese icing. I know it wasn't in the title, but that's because it's a new addition I've decided to include!
I first used this browned butter cream cheese icing to top my amazing Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. I had a lot of the icing leftover, so I re-made this pumpkin bread and drizzled on a generous amount of the icing and holy moly! The moist pumpkin bread paired with the sweet crunchy streusel topping is amazing enough, but the nutty caramelized flavour and silky smooth texture of the browned butter cream cheese icing makes this bread even more unbelievably delicious!
How to Brown Butter + Make Browned Butter Cream Cheese Icing
I used to be intimidated by browned butter. I have no idea why, I guess I was just afraid of burning it. Luckily it’s much easier than I thought.
Start by adding some softened butter to a saucepan and heating it until melted. Once the butter has melted, it’ll begin foaming and bubbling. This is when you need to pay careful attention.
Keep your eye on the butter, stirring continuously until the butter starts to brown. When the butter turns golden brown, start the frosting.
Since we want the consistency of the icing to be pourable instead of spreadable, there’s no need to let the butter cool. Add it and the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mix to combine. It won’t be smooth at first, but it will be once you add the powdered sugar.
Once everything is all combined and smooth, pour it onto the streusel bread, slice, eat and fall in love!
Did you make this Pumpkin Streusel Bread? Let me know how they turned out in the comments below! And don’t forget to leave a rating!
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Let’s get baking!
Pumpkin Streusel Bread
This Pumpkin Streusel Bread is super moist, fluffy and topped with a crunchy streusel topping and a silky browned butter cream cheese icing!
Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup pecan halves, finely chopped (optional)
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Bread:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Icing:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz. package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Streusel Topping:
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and stir with a fork until combined and crumbly. Cover the topping and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Pumpkin Bread:
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃). Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until just combined. Add vanilla and pumpkin purée and mix on low to combine.
- Add the sour cream and continue to mix until combined. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Whisk to combine.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Remove streusel from refrigerator and sprinkle on top of the bread.
- Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Browned Butter Cream Cheese Icing:
- Add the softened butter to a small saucepan, preferably one with a light bottom so you can easily see the colour change.
- Heat over medium heat until butter has melted.
- Once melted, the butter will begin to bubble and foam. Continue to stir, cooking until the butter turns a golden brown. This can take about 3-5 minutes, but don’t rely on time. Keep your eyes on the butter to see when it starts to turn brown.
- Immediately remove the browned butter from the stovetop and pour it into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the softened cream cheese and whisk until it’s combined. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and continue to whisk until smooth.
- Remove pumpkin bread from the loaf pan and transfer to a serving platter. Pour on cream cheese icing and spread it around. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The bread will stay moist in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- You can substitute the spices with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.
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