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Best Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl

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This brown butter pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl is incredibly moist, with a deep nutty flavor from browned butter and a tangy cream cheese ribbon running through the middle. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing fall treat that comes together in about an hour.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g, packed) brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 ounces (half a block) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 large egg yolk (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for cream cheese swirl)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Cut the stick of butter into pieces and place in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula. When the butter melts, foams, and then develops golden brown specks at the bottom with a nutty aroma, remove from heat immediately. Pour into a heatproof bowl to cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides.
  3. Make the cream cheese swirl: In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together cooled brown butter, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Stir in vanilla.
  5. Mix dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
  7. Layer and swirl: Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over batter in dollops. Pour remaining batter on top and spread carefully. Use a toothpick or skewer to drag through batter in a figure-eight pattern to create swirls.
  8. Bake: Place pan in center of oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil at 40 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool: Let bread rest in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment handles onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (at least 1 hour).

Notes

Don’t walk away from browning butter; it can burn quickly. Room temperature ingredients mix better. Let bread cool completely before slicing to avoid crumbling. Bread tastes even better on day two. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For dairy-free, try vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin bread, brown butter, cream cheese swirl, fall baking, quick bread, pumpkin recipe

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