Pumpkin Bread with Ricotta and Cream Cheese Swirl

You had to know I was gonna throw a pumpkin bread recipe in the mix!  How can you not?  It's Pumpkin Palooza, people.  

I think quick breads are one of the best ways to use pumpkin.  It's hard to find a quick bread moister (? weird.) than one made with pumpkin.  People who make great pumpkin bread are always showered with love, it's a known fact.

Good thing this recipe makes it so easy to be showered with love.  It's simple, simple, simple.  All of the pumpkin bread ingredients go into one bowl, all the cheese swirl ingredients into another.  Mix them up, layer them, bake them.  In an hour, you'll be loved by everyone.  Especially anyone who can smell this bread baking.. yum.

I wouldn't change a thing about this bread.  It gets better with every day it sits.  I guess I wish the swirl was a little swirlier, but that's just aesthetics.  If I was one of those folks who said, "It's all going to the same place, right?" I would say it.  But that makes it sound like it's just some random average recipe, and that is not the case here. 

Have I mentioned the ricotta?  I love ricotta, and I had to add it to this recipe.  I thought it would be perfect with the pumpkin and a little unexpected.  Next time, I might substitute all of the cream cheese for the ricotta and see how that goes.

A few little tips for this recipe- when you're layering the batters, the cheese mixture will look a lot thinner, maybe even runny.  Trust me- everything will magically right itself in the oven, and you'll have a beautiful loaf.  Also, make sure you use the biggest loaf pan you've got so this one doesn't overflow.  Don't waste a bit of that batter!

Having trouble picking a pumpkin recipe yet?  I say make them all.  More to come tomorrow!

Pumpkin Bread with Ricotta and Cream Cheese Swirl
adapted from Brooke McClay at the Family Kitchen

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
5 Tbsp. butter
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously grease and flour or coat a large loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, brown sugar, sugar, 3 eggs, milk, butter, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg until well-mixed.

In a second bowl, beat together cream cheese, egg, and sugar.  Fold in the ricotta cheese.

Spoon a thin layer of the pumpkin batter into the bottom of the bread pan. Make a well in the center of the bread and spoon half the cheese filling inside. Cover with another pumpkin layer, then swirl the rest of the cream cheese into that layer before covering again with one last layer of pumpkin batter.  Don't worry if the cheese filling seems to be runny- it will thicken up during baking.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a thin knife poked into the center of bread comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

I hope you'll stick around for the rest of Pumpkin Palooza 2010.  If you've got any must-make pumpkin recipes for me, comment below with links or email me at ovenloveblog@gmail.com.