Double Decker Pumpkin Bread

While I was shopping at Sam's Club last week I bought one of those 3 packs of canned pumpkin. I almost bought two. I even went as far as putting it in my cart and taking it back out again. You know when you get home from the store and you say, "damn I should have bought that". I should have cause over the weekend I laid in bed reading through cookbooks and found a few more pumpkin recipes I just had to try.

This double decker pumpkin bread sounded so good and it makes 2 loaves! One for home and one to share. My neighbors (who are pumpkin lovers) who just adore me this time of year got half of ours and I brought the other to work where it was quickly devoured within an hour of my arrival at work. I believe this is a new record.

Double Decker Pumpkin Bread
Printable recipe
4 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1-8 ounce sour cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 – 15 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease the bottoms and ½ inch up the sides of two 9x5x3 loaf pans. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until combined. Add sour cream and 1 egg. Beat until combined. Stir in crystallized ginger, set aside.

In another medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups of sugar the eggs, pumpkin, oil and water. Beat on low speed until combined scraping the sides of bowl occasionally. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined.

Spoon 1 ½ cups of the pumpkin batter unto each of the prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese mixture between pans, spreading evenly. Spoon the remaining pumpkin batter onto the cream cheese mixture, spread evenly.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes on until toothpick inserted tests clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight before slicing. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.