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Twilight Swirl Pumpkin Bread Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 3.9 from 28 reviews
  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 (8 slices)
  • Category: Baking
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Twilight Swirl Pumpkin Bread is a moist and flavorful quick bread featuring a beautiful marbled swirl of spiced pumpkin and a molasses-darkened batter. The combination of warm spices, pumpkin purée, and a subtle hint of molasses creates a perfect fall treat that’s both visually stunning and delicious. This recipe uses basic pantry ingredients and comes together with simple mixing and swirling techniques, making it a wonderful homemade bread for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (adjust to taste)

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar (½ white sugar and ½ light brown sugar preferred)
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Twilight Batter Ingredients

  • About ½ of the pumpkin batter (from wet and dry combined)
  • 2 tablespoons sweet molasses (NOT blackstrap)
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon extra spice (pumpkin spice, ground cinnamon, or gingerbread spice)
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping

  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional, for sparkle and crunch)

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the loaf out later. Gather and prepare all your ingredients.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Make sure to whisk thoroughly to prevent clumps of baking soda which could create uneven texture pockets in the bread.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar (combining white and brown if using), pumpkin purée, vegetable or canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and glossy. If using a mix of white and brown sugar, ensure the brown sugar is fully dissolved before proceeding.
  4. Combine Batter: Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent the bread from becoming dense; stop as soon as the streaks of flour disappear.
  5. Make the Twilight Batter: Transfer about half of the combined pumpkin batter into a separate smaller bowl. Add the sweet molasses, dark brown sugar, extra spice, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Fold these ingredients gently until the batter is dark and smooth. The cocoa powder adds color but will not make the bread taste chocolatey.
  6. Layer the Batter: Spread half of the dark twilight batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spoon half of the lighter pumpkin batter on top, dolloping it across the surface. Repeat the layers with the remaining dark and pumpkin batters.
  7. Create the Swirls: Using a butter knife or a fork, gently swirl the batters together by making a few figure-8 motions or spirals. Be careful not to over-swirl; you want to create pretty marbled ribbons rather than fully blending the batters together.
  8. Bake: Sprinkle the top of the loaf with turbinado sugar for a sparkling, crunchy finish (optional). Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes. Check around 40 minutes; if the top is browning too fast, loosely tent the loaf with foil to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean or with only moist crumbs attached, but no raw batter.
  9. Cool and Serve: Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes to set its structure. Then lift the loaf out using the parchment overhang and transfer it to a wire rack to cool mostly before slicing. This cooling period enhances the swirl appearance and flavor.

Notes

  • Using parchment paper with an overhang makes removing the loaf from the pan easy and keeps its shape intact.
  • The cocoa powder in the twilight batter is for color only and will not make the bread taste chocolatey.
  • You can adjust the amount of pumpkin spice depending on your preference for warmth and spice.
  • If the bread is browning too quickly on top during baking, tent it with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
  • For best texture and swirl definition, avoid overmixing the batter and over-swirl before baking.
  • Turbinado sugar topping is optional but adds a delightful crunch and sparkle to the crust.

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Find it online: https://yummymealmaker.com/twilight-swirl-pumpkin-bread-recipe/