High Altitude Pumpkin Loaf

You'll love this moist, tender, spiced High Altitude Pumpkin Loaf! It's easy to make and perfect for holiday gift giving!

This pumpkin bread is one of my new favorite fall recipes! The loaf is super moist with a pound cake-like texture, and a perfect balance of sweet and spice flavor. The recipe comes out perfectly whether you use a glass or fluted metal loaf tin. It's the perfect way to start a crisp fall morning.

This recipe is similar to my High Altitude Zucchini Bread but with pumpkin as the star. If you're looking for even more fall recipes check out my Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta, Apple Brie Salad, and High Altitude Cornbread.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Moist and tender breakfast bread
• Balance of sweet and spice and pumpkin
• Recipe can be easily doubled
• Delicious in the fall

Ingredient Notes

• Applesauce - Can use plain or cinnamon. Makes the pumpkin bread extremely moist. Cinnamon applesauce provides even more spice.
• Buttermilk - Using just a touch to help activate the baking soda. Bring to room temperature before using.
• Cream Cheese - Use regular cream cheese. You'll want to make sure you take cream cheese out 1 hour before using to bring it to room temperature.
• Sugar- I use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe. The dark brown sugar adds extra moisture to the pumpkin bread and the molasses in the brown sugar activates the baking soda.
• Pumpkin - Use a pure pumpkin puree for this recipe. Not pumpkin pie filling! Pumpkin pie filling has added sugars and spices which wouldn’t work in this recipe.
• Eggs - binds all the ingredients together. Take the eggs out 30 minutes before starting the recipe to bring the eggs to room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract - for extra flavor. I recommend using a high quality vanilla extract or at least pure vanilla extract for best flavoring.
• All-Purpose Flour - This provides the structure for the pumpkin bread. Just be sure to spoon and level your flour when you’re measuring it so you don’t end up with too much or using a digital scale.
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder - leavening agents to make our bread rise.
• Spices - I simply use a high quality ground cinnamon but you could use a pumpkin spice blend instead.
• Salt - The salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the breakfast bread. I like to use either kosher salt or finely ground sea salt.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon for 2-3 minutes. Making sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl at least once.

2. Next, add in eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract. Beat on low for 1-2 minutes, scrapping the bottom of the bowl at least once.

3. Next, add in pumpkin puree and beat for 30 seconds.

4. Next, add in all dry ingredients and gently beat into batter until just combined. It's okay if there is a little bit of flour not mixed in.

5. Finally, add in buttermilk and applesauce and beat until just combined.

6. Remove the bowl from stand mixer, give it a good mix with a silicone spatula. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper OR spray a fluted loaf pan. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 65-75 minutes and/or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack in the loaf pan. Let it cool for 10-20 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully remove the pumpkin bread from the pan and let it continue to cool on the cooling rack until room temperature. Then, slice and serve.

Expert Tips

• Properly Measure Flour - If you just dip your measuring cup into a bag of flour, chances are you have way too much flour due to packing. I keep a small digital scale to accurately measure flour BUT you can also use the spoon and level method too if you don't have a scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour within your flour bag or container. Then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and finally use the straight edge of a knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.
• Don't Overmix -  Overmixing can make your pumpkin bread tough or bake unevenly. You want to mix your ingredients until the flour is just combined.
• Wooden Skewer Test - when your pumpkin bread is toward the end of its bake, make sure to insert a wooden skewer into the center of the pumpkin bread. When you pull the wooden skewer out, you want it with a few moist crumbs or completely clean to indicate its finished baking. If there is any wet batter, it needs to continue to bake, I recommend baking in 2-3 minute increments until the wooden skewer comes out clean or a few moist crumbs.

Recipe FAQ

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