I know, I know…you’re probably thinking the time for pumpkin bread has officially passed. And once again I’m late, which unfortunately isn’t all that uncommon. 🙈
But, with the arrival of our little Addie in September, traveling in October, Thanksgiving in November, and lots of birthday celebrations and company in between, I sorta missed my window for all the pumpkin-cinnamon-nutmeg-goodness. Which makes me sad.
SO, with a left over can of organic pumpkin and a coupon for Arla’s Cream Cheese Spread, I couldn’t help but make this Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling. And I’m so glad I did!
It’s a lovely combination of pumpkin, whole wheat flour, oats, and Greek yogurt, with a delicious layer of cheesecake, topped with pecans and Greek yogurt baking chips. Completely satisfying as a light dessert, yet totally healthy enough for breakfast. 🙌🏻 And perhaps a bit addicting.
However, a word of advice. If you’re like me, you’ll likely want to cut a piece shortly after pulling it out of the oven – DON’T! Let it sit at least 20-30 minutes, then invert it onto a large piece of aluminum foil and wrap it fairly tight. Put it in the refrigerator and allow it to fully cool before slicing and serving. Just trust me on this one {read: I was impatient and it nearly fell apart on me 😳}
Hoping some of you have a can or two of pumpkin puree leftover as well! Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- FILLING:
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- BREAD:
- 2 organic eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
- 3/4 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup plain no-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup whole oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp yogurt baking chips divided
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp chopped pecans divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease and flour 9 x 5 loaf pan.
- Add cream cheese, coconut sugar and almond milk to small bowl, beat until smooth.
- Add eggs and coconut sugar to large mixing bowl, beat until lightly mixed, then whisk in maple syrup, pumpkin, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, add whole wheat flour, whole oats, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and sea salt, mix until combined.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, stir just until combined. Fold in 1/3 cup yogurt baking chips.
- Pour half of the batter into greased and floured pan, then spoon cream cheese filling over batter and spread into even layer. Add remaining batter and cover filling completely.
- Top with remaining yogurt chips and chopped pecans. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool 20-25 minutes before removing from pan. Once bread has cooled, remove and wrap firmly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to serve. {Do NOT remove the bread to early and do no skip the aluminum foil, the bread will fall apart if removed too soon or removed and not wrapped until it can cool completely in refrigerator.} Store in refrigerator up to one week. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Inspired by Taste of Home’s Pumpkin Swirl Bread.