Ingredients:
For the Loaf:
• 1/2 small (450 g / 1 pound) Hokkaido pumpkin (or 1¼ cups/300 g pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 1 stick (114 g), melted
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups + 3 tablespoons (270 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the Frosting:
• 140g cream cheese, softened
• 50g powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice (adjust to taste and thickness)
• Zest of 1 orange
Directions:
For the pumpkin puree:
• Drain pumpkin in a colander, then blend using a stick blender or food processor. Let the pumpkin puree cool a bit.
• Wash pumpkin, remove the seeds with a spoon, and then cut into wedges.
• Cut wedges into 1-1½ cubes.
• Cook the pumpkin cubes in a saucepan with 1-inch water, covered, until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes.
For the bread:
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) with top and bottom heat.
• Grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, melted butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger using a hand whisk until smooth.
• Gently add the all-purpose flour and baking powder to the wet mixture, stirring just until combined and no dry pockets remain.
• Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for about 40-55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
• Let the loaf cool completely in the pan.
For the frosting:
• In a small bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, icing sugar until smooth and fluffy.
• Drizzle in the orange juice a little at a time until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency that holds its shape on top of the loaf.
• Sprinkle the orange zest on top.
Tip: In place of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger you can just use 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice.
Storage:
• Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a tall airtight cake/bread container so the frosting doesn’t dry out. It will stay fresh and moist in the fridge for up to 4–5 days.
Tip: Let individual slices sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before eating to take the chill off and let the cream cheese soften up again.
