Easy Cranberry Pumpkin Bread (with Fresh Cranberries)
This Cranberry Pumpkin Bread recipe is wonderful. Starting with my easy pumpkin bread recipe, I added fresh cranberries and topped it with a sugar-cinnamon mixture and pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds). This pumpkin quick bread is soft, moist, and smells wonderful.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 316kcal
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 8 tablespoons (114 grams) unsalted butter melted, plus extra to butter the loaf pan
- 1-3/4 cups (220 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour plus extra to flour the loaf pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 large (100 grams) eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 grams) pumpkin puree Libby's recommended
- 1-1/4 cups (130 grams) fresh cranberries frozen can also be used
Sugar-Cinnamon Topping (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar can also use regular granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons toasted pepitas
Instructions
Make the Pumpkin Bread Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Rub butter along the sides and bottom of the loaf pan. Add flour to the pan and rotate it around to coat the sides and bottom. Line the pan with parchment paper and use clips to hold the paper in place. When the bread is done, the parchment paper is used as a sling to lift the bread out of the pan.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Melting over low heat prevents splatter and reduces the amount of evaporation. Remove the butter from the heat and set it aside.
- Put the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk for 30 seconds to combine.
- Place the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Use a whisk to combine. Use your fingers to break up any brown sugar clumps.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk for 1 minute. The mixture will be thick and lighter in color. Add the melted butter, whisk until incorporated, and then add pumpkin puree and whisk to combine. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Toss the cranberries with the flour mixture until the cranberries are coated with flour. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula until the flour mixture and cranberries are mixed in. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold it into the batter until no white bits of flour are visible. There may be a few lumps and that is okay. Do not overmix.
Bake the Pumpkin Bread
- Pour the batter into a loaf pan and use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the batter. Then sprinkle the pepitas on top. (Remove the clips from the pan)
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a long skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with no more than a few crumbs clinging to it or the center registers at 195-200°F with an instant-read thermometer. Rotate the pan after the first 30 minutes of baking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a butter knife along the edges of the bread. Lift the bread from the pan and place it back on the cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool for 1 hour before slicing.
What to Serve With the Bread
- This tastes all by itself, but a simple smear of salted butter is great on this bread. For an indulgent treat you can't go wrong with a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream.
Storing the Pumpkin Bread
- Store the pumpkin bread at room temperature for two days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. After two days, store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Weigh Dry Ingredients: For the best results weigh your flour or use the spoon and sweep method measure the flour.
Why I Prefer Dark Brown Sugar: For this recipe I prefer dark brown sugar because it tastes less sweet than light brown and produces more of a toffee flavor when baked. Dark brown sugar has a higher percentage of molasses than light brown sugar, which is why it is less sweet. However light brown sugar also works in this recipe.
Pumpkin Puree: I recommend using Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. Libby makes their puree with a specific type of pumpkin suitable for baking. I don’t recommend canned organic pumpkin puree because it tends to be waterier than Libby's puree.
Pan Size: If using a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan start checking the pumpkin bread for doneness after 40 minutes.
Troubleshooting: If your bread appears underbaked or raw in the center than it wasn't baked long enough. If it has a rubbery texture, the batter was overmixed. If it has a dark line running along the bottom of each slice, then either not enough leavener was added or the baking powder may be expired.
Nutrition
Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 5045IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg