A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread (Recipe Inspired by MY DARK VANESSA)

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Raisin Bread

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… time for PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. Starting with Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread.

Pumpkin Bread loaves

Why is Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread the book-inspired recipe for My Dark Vanessa?

You might be thinking that Pumpkin Bread is a strange book-inspired recipe to pair with My Dark Vanessa.

And I guess you’d be right. I mean, My Dark Vanessa is HEAVY, and this delicately spiced autumnal treat is anything but.

Pumpkin loaf

However, Vanessa’s dark and twisted world is often pushed up against the background of a quintessential New England autumn: happy, laughing families wearing matching plaid shirts, crunching through fallen leaves, drinking apple cider, making memories for years to come…

The harsh juxtaposition between what Vanessa experiences and what goes on around her really got to me, and I decided I wanted a classic fall dessert for My Dark Vanessa. A dessert that will lighten up your mood once you’re done reading this (excellent but intense) story.

pumpkin raisin bread

‘Tis the season…

Really, though, it’s not like I need an excuse to make pumpkin bread. I’m all about the fall and the seasonal flavors it brings.

Yes, I’m that person who stocks up on canned pumpkin in August and shoves her first bread in the oven by September 1.

close up of bread

Why I love Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

Like my beloved Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Bread is a quick bread, which means no stand-mixer needed; just a whisk and a spoon. You practically dump all the ingredients into a few bowls, stir stir stir, and POOF! You have pumpkin bread.

falling bread

Each bite of this crazy delicious treat explodes with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

ALL THE FALL FLAVORS.

slices of pumpkin bread on paper

My version has raisins – I love their sweetness against the spiced bread – but you do you.

If you’re staunchly anti-raisin, you can absolutely leave them out. Or, you could swap them for chocolate chips, which is Mr Tart’s favorite way to eat pumpkin bread.

stack of slices

Last year was the first year I rolled the Pumpkin Bread in cinnamon sugar. I now intend to do this every year.

It gives the dessert a little extra crunch, a little extra sparkle.

close up of pumpkin bread slice

This recipe yields three perfectly sized loaves, so it’s perfect for making early in the season and freezing the extra loaves for later in the fall.

slices of pumpkin raisin

What do I serve with Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Raisin Bread?

I could eat ten slices of this dessert on all its own, but I suppose you need a meal come before dessert. For the ultimate fall menu, start with an appetizer of Apple Butternut Squash Soup and follow it up with a cozy, comforting main course like Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings, Mushroom Risotto, or Sunday Night Chicken Dinner.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 3 loaves

Ingredients
  

PUMPKIN BREAD INGREDIENTS

  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 15 oz pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 – 1 cup raisins (optional)

CINNAMON SUGAR INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (optional)*
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • a few pinches of ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Spray three 8×4 loan pans with baking spray and set aside on a baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the pumpkin puree, water, and oil and whisk to combine.
  • Add the 3 cups granulated sugar to the egg mixture and whisk until all ingredients are combined and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt until combined.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, using a whisk at first to break up flour clumps in the batter but switching to a wooden spoon/spatula about halfway through. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until completely combined and batter is mostly smooth.
  • If adding raisins, fold them into the batter now.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared loaf pans and bake at 350F for 30-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
  • Cool the Pumpkin Raisin Bread in pan for 15-20 minutes, then run a butter knife around the inside edges of the pans. Tip the loaves onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. **

CINNAMON SUGAR DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Melt butter and set aside.
  • Whisk together the 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon until combined.
  • Once pumpkin raisin bread loaves are completely cool, take one loaf and brush melted butter over the top, all sides, and bottom. Quickly sprinkle the buttered surfaces with the cinnamon sugar mixture, then let dry on a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining loaves.

Notes

*Note: If you wrap up a “naked” pumpkin bread in plastic wrap and leave it overnight, when you unwrap it the next morning, the crust will be sticky enough for the cinnamon sugar to adhere without the melted butter. If you’re serving the bread the same day as you’re baking it, you’ll need to use the melted butter to get the cinnamon sugar to stick.
**If freezing the loaves, don’t roll in the cinnamon sugar until you’re ready to serve; otherwise, the sugar will sink into the bread while it’s in the freezer and it will be gone by the time you’ve defrosted the loaf.
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Raisin Bread is a barely adapted version of this  recipe
 

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