Maple Iced Pumpkin Bread

Have you ever seen the Hershey’s kiss commercial that has the chocolate kisses lined up in their red and green wrappers as if they were a bell choir? With the silver wrapped kiss leading the choir to ring in the holiday season playing jingle bells. This commercial first aired in 1989 and in my household, and I’m sure many others, is the first sign the current holiday season has begun! Well, I saw this commercial for the first time this year just the other day. Which means Christmas is, you could say, just around the corner. I love this commercial and am always thrilled to see it, but what about Thanksgiving?! Let’s not get so excited for Christmas that we forget about the cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin loving holiday that symbolizes a special day to focus on the blessings our life has. They may be big or small, but there is always something you can be thankful for. I’m always thankful for a home with a kitchen to cook and bake in as part of the festive celebrations. Today’s featured recipe is a must during the autumn holidays. MAPLE ICED PUMPKIN BREAD has a silky texture of pumpkin with fall’s favorite spices; cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, topped with maple icing. I love this bread. The sweet maple icing pairs deliciously with tame pumpkin and subtle spices. When topping the pumpkin bread with this yummy maple icing, you can decide for yourself whether to drizzle or douse the bread, because when it comes to iced breads, you really need to let your heart decide on the amount of icing. It should be known that this is a true homemade pumpkin bread recipe, because we used a fresh pumpkin. So, let’s get baking! Oh, but first we’ll be roasting! Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. 

MAPLE ICED PUMPKIN BREAD: 

PUMPKIN BREAD INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium pumpkin, peeled and cubed. After you roast and puree the pumpkin you’ll need 1 1/2 cups of the pureed pumpkin.
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon ground flax
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

METHOD:

• First you’ll need to peel and cube the fresh pumpkin. Place the cubes in a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil. Place in a 2 quart baking dish and bake at 400°F for 50-60 minutes or until tender. After roasted, let cool. Then with a fork or potato masher, smash pumpkin until a puree forms.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
• In a small bowl combine ground flax and water. This makes a flax egg. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together pumpkin, coconut sugar, granulated sugar, oil, flax egg, and milk. 
• In another mixing bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix together until just combined.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined. You don’t want to over mix the batter. 
• Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes until you test with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before pouring on maple icing.

MAPLE ICING:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar + more if needed
• 1 Tablespoon milk of choice + more if needed
• 2-3 teaspoons maple extract 
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

 METHOD:

• In a small mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Add more milk and powdered sugar 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a smooth somewhat thick glaze like consistency. 
• When pumpkin bread is fully cooled, pour as much icing as you’d like over the top. 
• As it sits the icing should set and thicken up slightly more.
• Enjoy!