The usual pumpkin loaf with cream cheese frosting recipe makes two loaves, which has always felt like too much bread for just two people. This pumpkin bread with icing is the half batch I wanted instead, baked in a pan that fits it properly. One moist pumpkin bread, enough slices for the week, and no second batch going stale in the freezer.
Every fall I bake a pumpkin loaf, and every fall I end up with way more bread than I can finish. This time I cut the recipe in half and used a smaller pan, so I only had one loaf to slice and cover with my homemade icing. I had a piece with my coffee each morning, and the last slice was still soft on the final day.
Dry Ingredients Are Sifted
Sifting the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice spreads the leavening evenly, so every slice rises the same way. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in small batches, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain, to keep the crumb tender rather than tough. For more pumpkin and cream recipes, try the cake parfait with pumpkin for two, the pumpkin mash squash, and the pudding cups with berries and cream.
Loaf Needs to Cool Completely Before Adding Icing
Let the best pumpkin bread cool in the pan on a wire rack, then turn it out once it is completely cold, because a warm loaf is fragile and tears when moved. Icing spread over any warmth melts and runs off instead of setting into the thick ribbon that holds its shape on top.
Easy Instructions for Creating Pumpkin Bread
This easy pumpkin bread recipe bakes in an 8×4 inch loaf pan and finishes with a maple icing drizzle. Five steps, one loaf, and an icing that sets on a fully cooled slice.
Must-Have Tools for Your Kitchen
- 8×4 Inch Loaf Pan: Holds the batter at the right height for a half batch. Cover the inside of the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Wire Rack: Holds the loaf while it cools.
- Sieve: Sifts the dry ingredients into the medium bowl.
- Bowl: Needed for the wet and dry ingredients.
- Whisk: Whisks the sugar into the egg until the mixture lightens.
- Silicone Spatula: Folds the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Spoon: Stirs the maple syrup into the icing sugar.
- Toothpick: Tests the center of the loaf for doneness.
Key Ingredients:
- Egg: Beaten in a large bowl to start the wet mixture.
- Granulated Sugar: Whisked into the beaten egg a little at a time until the mixture turns pale yellow.
- Vegetable Oil: Poured into the egg and sugar once the mixture has lightened.
- Vanilla Extract: Added to the wet mixture alongside the oil.
- Buttermilk: Stirred in after the vanilla and oil.
- Plain Pumpkin Puree: Stirred in last, until the wet mixture is smooth.
- All-Purpose Flour: Sifted into a medium bowl, then folded into the batter in small batches.
- Baking Powder: Sifted into the medium bowl alongside the flour.
- Baking Soda: Sifted through the sieve with the baking powder.
- Salt: Added to the sieve with the other dry ingredients.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Sifted in last, along with the rest of the dry mix.
For the Icing:
- Icing Sugar: Placed in a small bowl as the base of the icing.
- Maple Syrup: Stirred in a little at a time until the icing falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mixed into the finished icing before it goes over the loaf.
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Detailed Directions for the Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
One: Preheat and Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit (180°Celsius). Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice into a medium bowl. Grease and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
Two: Make the Wet Mixture
Beat the egg in a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time until the mixture lightens to a pale yellow. Stir in the vanilla, oil, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree until smooth.
Three: Combine and Pour
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in small batches, folding gently. Stop as soon as no dry streaks are left. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Four: Bake and Cool
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, checking at 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Leave the loaf to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Turn it out once it is completely cold.
Five: Ice and Serve
Stir the maple syrup into the icing sugar a little at a time until the icing falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Mix in the pumpkin spice. Drizzle the icing over the cooled loaf.
Tested and Noted by Zuzana
The icing is the step that goes wrong fastest, and it can go wrong with just a few drops of maple syrup. On my first try, I poured in all the syrup at once, and the icing slid off the loaf and pooled around the base. Adding it a little at a time until it fell from the spoon in a thick ribbon fixed it. For a warm drink beside a slice, I make my hot chocolate powdered mix recipe.
- Check the loaf at 40 minutes and press a toothpick into the center. If moist crumbs cling to it, give the loaf a few more minutes.
- Bring the egg and buttermilk to room temperature before you start. Cold ingredients blend less evenly into the batter.
- You don’t need a mixer for this batter. A whisk and a spatula handle every step.
- A light dusting of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon adds a little color. Add it right after drizzling, before the icing sets.
- If homemade pumpkin puree isn’t available, canned pumpkin is a good alternative for that pumpkin flavor. You can also use it as a pumpkin pie filling.
Common Questions Answered
A slice pairs well with a cup of lavender tea or a glass of green hibiscus tea. For something cold, the iced karkade tea recipe pairs well. For breakfast, creamy scrambled eggs or an omelet with goat cheese and fresh spinach can turn a slice into a full morning meal.
What Are the Proper Storage Tips for Moist Pumpkin Bread?
Store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If the weather is warm, move it to the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring slices to room temperature for 10 minutes before eating.
How Do I Freeze Frosted Pumpkin Loaf?
Freeze the slices without the icing, wrapped individually in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature for about an hour. Stir up a fresh batch of icing and drizzle it over the thawed slices.
Additional Small-Portion Recipes You’ll Love
Next, make cookies, muffins, and a snack mix. The recipe for matcha cookies for two is a slice-and-bake cookie made with almond flour and matcha powder.
The zucchini chocolate chip muffins bake six muffins with grated zucchini and chocolate chips in a standard muffin tin. The nuts trail mix recipe stirs nuts together into a small batch snack mix.
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Pumpkin Bread with Icing
Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ Cup Buttermilk
- ½ Cup Plain Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
For the Icing:
- ½ Cup Icing Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit (180°Celsius), mix the dry ingredients, and prepare the loaf pan.
- Beat the egg with sugar, then mix in the vanilla, oil, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, then cool completely.
- Mix the maple syrup, icing sugar, and pumpkin spice, then drizzle over the cooled loaf.
Notes
- Check the loaf at 40 minutes and press a toothpick into the center. If moist crumbs cling to it, give the loaf a few more minutes.
- Bring the egg and buttermilk to room temperature before you start. Cold ingredients blend less evenly into the batter.
- You don’t need a mixer for this batter. A whisk and a spatula handle every step.
- A light dusting of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon adds a little color. Add it right after drizzling, before the icing sets.
- If homemade pumpkin puree isn’t available, canned pumpkin is a good alternative for that pumpkin flavor. You can also use it as a pumpkin pie filling.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
drink options to have with pumpkin bread
Drinks to have with pumpkin bread with icing should complement its warm spices and sweet topping without overpowering them. Pair it with types of tea for a cozy combination.
