Description
This Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread Mini Loaves recipe delivers moist, flavorful mini loaves packed with rich pumpkin and warm fall spices. Featuring a crunchy cinnamon-sugar swirl, these small batch loaves are perfect for breakfast or dessert, easily adaptable to various baking pans and sizes, with a texture that stays fresh for days.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- ½ cup pure canned pumpkin
- ¼ cup canola oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Swirl
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (combine ¾ teaspoon cinnamon with 1 tablespoon sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle position. Lightly grease mini loaf pans and line with parchment paper slings or line wells of a brownie pan with parchment strips that hang over sides for easy removal.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift or sprinkle the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt over the wet mixture. Whisk until the batter is uniform with no dry streaks remaining. Using a fine mesh strainer to sift dry ingredients directly into the wet bowl helps achieve even mixing.
- Fill Pans and Add Cinnamon Swirl: Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Generously spoon cinnamon sugar over the top of each and gently swirl it just on the surface using a toothpick or knife to create a sweet cinnamon crust.
- Bake: Bake in the brownie pan for 20 to 23 minutes or in two mini loaf pans for 28 to 30 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out mostly clean. Adjust time if baking in other pan sizes.
- Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Use the parchment slings to lift loaves from pans and cool completely on the wire rack before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is a small batch but can be doubled for a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan; bake for about 50 minutes starting to check at that point.
- Other pan options include muffin pans (make 5-6 muffins, bake for 20-23 minutes) or non-stick brownie pans (5 individual loaves, same bake time).
- Add an extra ¼ to ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to the batter if you want a stronger spice flavor.
- Use pure canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling); brands like Libby’s labeled 100% pumpkin puree work best.
- Leftover pumpkin puree can be saved for other recipes; this recipe will leave some leftover regardless of can size.
- Store covered at room temperature to keep moist for 5 to 7 days.
- Baked pumpkin bread freezes well for up to 3 months; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
