Pumpkin, molasses, candied pecans, and cozy fall spices come together beautifully in this bread. A rich and tasty vegan loaf ideal for baking in the fall.
½cup / 113 gramsplant based butter with salt - melted
2cups / 240 grams all purpose flour
6tbspplant based milk
2tbspplant based yogurt
¾cupmuscovado sugar - store bought or homemade(see recipe on the website if you are interested in making it yourself)
300gramspumpkin puree - NOT pumpkin pie filling
2tspbaking powder
½tspbaking soda
1tbspvanilla extract
½tspcinnamon
¼tspginger
¼tspnutmeg
⅛tspcloves
Cream Cheese Frosting
1cup / 120 gramspowdered sugar
4tbsp / 60 gramsplant based cream cheese(needs to be cold)
1tbsp / 14 gramsplant based butter with salt(only slightly warmed)
½tspvanilla extract
1pinch ofcinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves
Instructions
Candied Pecans
Measure out the pecans and roughly chop them; set them asideIn a small pot, add the sugar, water, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; whisk to fully combine. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil; stirring occasionally. We want it to thicken and become syrupy. Once the desired consistency is reached, remove the pot from the heat and add the chopped pecans; stirring until all of the pecan pieces are coated. Pour the pecans out onto a parchment lined pan, spread them out and allow them to cool. Once the pecans are completely cool, break up any clumps that were formed. Set the candied pecans aside for later.
Pumpkin Molasses Bread
Prepare an 8x4 loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter and set it aside.
In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; whisk to combine and set aside.To a medium bowl add the melted butter, pumpkin puree and muscovado sugar; whisk for one minute to fully combine. Add the milk, yogurt and vanilla extract; whisk for another minute. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined or until no more flour is seen. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the candied pecans, add the rest to the batter and fold them in.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the loaf for 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the loaf to completely cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Add the cold cream cheese and the slightly warmed butter to a medium bowl and blend with a hand mixer for no more than 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and blend until smooth and creamy. Place the frosting in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. The frosting can stay in the freezer until you are ready to frost the loaf.This frosting can become runny easily. I suggest frosting the loaf right before serving or frosting the loaf ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator until you are read to serve it. When you are ready to frost the loaf, remove the frosting from the freezer and whip it on medium speed with a hand mixer for 30 seconds to a minute. Spread the frosting over the top of the loaf and sprinkle the reserved candied pecans over the top. Sprinkling the reserved candied pecans over the top of the frosted loaf is a nice final look.