World Famous Recipes

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

Filling:
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange peel

Bread:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease two 8×4x3-inch loaf pans. In a medium
mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1 egg, and
the orange peel; beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Into another bowl, sift 1 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon,
cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. Put pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, 2
eggs and 1 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Stir the
pumpkin
mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the pecans or
walnuts, if using. Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the
two prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of pumpkin batter
layer and then pour on the remaining pumpkin batter. Bake in preheated 325
oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the
loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes; remove to a rack
to cool completely.

Pumpkin bread recipe makes 2 loaves.