A perfect comfort food, especially when spread with cream cheese, Pumpkin Apple Bread has become a tradition of mine every autumn – Enjoy!
Pumpkin Apple Bread
from
Celebrate the Rain - Seattle Junior League
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg (can use freshly grated)
1 tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
2 cups (16 ounces) pure pumpkin puree (I use fresh / steamed and pureed pumpkin – you may also use canned)
2 ¼ cup sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 large or 2 medium Granny Smith apples: peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch dices
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
5 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 Tbs butter at room temperature
1 (heaping) tsp cinnamon
For the topping – Combine sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. Blend with fork to an even, crumbly texture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and allspice into a large bowl.
In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin, stirring to evenly mix, and then fold in the apples.
Divide the batter between the pans, smoothing the tops. Sprinkle each loaf with the cinnamon-sugar topping.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. (I usually add about 10 minutes.)
** I like this bread fresh out of the oven while the cinnamon topping is crisp. These loaves also hold up well and can be baked a day or two before being served. They also freeze well for up to 1 month, securely wrapped in plastic, then wrapped one more time in foil.
