Pumpkin Espresso Bread

I am beginning to feel like a bit of a hypocrite. After spending the majority of the summer in a heat induced stupor, I was ready for fall. I was ready to embrace wearing pants and drinking hot beverages, going outside without breaking into a sweat, and sleeping under the bed covers instead of on top of them. I often whined about the heat of summer to anyone who would listen until I couldn't find anyone to listen to my grievances anymore. I secretly wished for snow and cold winds as I sat in front of an industrial fan.

And now, on the first real day of fall weather, I must eat my words.

This morning was genuinely cold. In the middle of the night, I had pulled the covers up to the tip of my nose, trapping the heat under the blankets. When my alarm went off with a loud beep, I snaked a hand out to turn it off and immediately brought it back into the warmth of the blankets. The shock of chilled air was unexpected. I groaned audibly, wanting to stay beneath the covers forever, dreading the moment when I would have to leave the sanctuary of my bed. After a few minutes of indulging myself, I finally pulled off the covers and crawled out of bed.

Breakfast has an uncanny ability to lure me out from the land of dreams.

Even though my body may not be ready for the shock of crisp air, my taste buds are more than ready for autumn to arrive. I'm looking forward to roasting freshly picked apples in the oven with a little brown sugar. I'm looking forward to devouring warm rice pudding, sprinkled with a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Most of all, I'm looking forward to eating anything and everything with pumpkin (so much, in fact, that I jumped the gun and started stocking my cupboards with cans of pumpkin early this year).

After making most of this Pumpkin Espresso Bread disappear in less than a day, I feel like beginning autumn baking early was an excellent decision.

Pumpkin Espresso Bread is the quintessential loaf of autumn. With the flavors of my favorite coffee house drink in mind, I infused espresso into pumpkin bread batter and topped the loaf with a brown sugar espresso crumble before baking. In the oven, half of the crumble soaks into the top of the bread while the other half stays sweet and crunchy on top. The pumpkin bread is incredibly moist, with a tender crumb, and strong flavors. I would be surprised if this lasted more than a day in your house.

One Year Ago: Peaches & Cream
Two Years Ago: Whole Wheat Baguettes

Pumpkin Espresso Bread

Yields 9 x 5-inch loaf

Pumpkin Espresso Bread
3/4 cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 cup (245 grams) canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (59 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour, baking soda, espresso powder, spices, and salt. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Brown Sugar Espresso Topping
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, espresso powder, and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the pumpkin batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Comments

[Rekha]

I loved the sound of this recipe and am itching to make it. Just one question ... What is the alternative to canned pumpkin?? In India we get the fresh orange pumpkin... As well as the white pumpkin . Which one do i use and how? Any suggestions?

[vera@growntocook]

As the temperature has dropped abruptly here in the Netherlands as well, I can totally relate. Combining espresso and pumpkin in one loaf sounds like a very good idea to me and I'll be sure to try it. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Kristin Rosenau]

Rekha-- You can make your own pumpkin puree by roasting an orange pumpkin in the oven until tender and pureeing it in a food processor. If you go this route, be sure to drain all of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree before using it in any recipes; that extra liquid will mess up the recipe.

[Becca - Cookie Jar Treats]

This post made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I hate being outside in the cold but I love the look of fall, wearing the warm and cozy sweaters, everything about fall makes me happy as long as I don't have to endure the cold.

Your pumpkin loaf looks amazing. When I saw the first picture I was like, wow, that is some seriously cozy looking pumpkin bread :)

[dina]

This looks so warm and delicious. You've really inspired me, and your photography is simply beautiful! Whenever I'm on foodgawker, seems I always click on your posts because they're so exquisite. Thank you for sharing your talents!

[Lynna]

this combination sound marvelous!

[Hollee]

I just decided to make something like this last week, but since I'm rubbish at making up my own recipes I'm glad you posted one!

[Archana]

Espresso coffee is new to me so I googled and am i glad I can substitute plain old instant coffee. Thanks I am making this asap.

[Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum]

In addition to this looking delicious... I just wanted to say that I love your use of shadows. Gutsy and dark and gorgeous. Awesome!

[Alison]

Whoops - a bit of a typo there........"roast an orange muffin - should probably read pumpkin.

[Danielle]

I made this last night for some guests for dessert, and it came out great. I used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 oil, and it worked out well. Thanks for the great recipes and photos!

[Julie]

This bread looks great; I was wondering how well it keeps? I'd like to send some to my boyfriend in CT. Do you think it'll go stale if it doesn't get to him right away?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Julie-- It keeps just fine for 3-5 days. If you are going to send it via mail, I would freeze the loaf after baking to keep it as fresh as possible when you send it. I would opt for express mail because the bread does taste better when it is fresher.

[Jeanette]

This may sound like a dumb question, but where do I get espresso powder?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Jeanette--Espresso powder can be found in most grocery stores in the coffee aisle. If you cannot find it, finely ground instant coffee will make a good substitute.

[Alexandra]

I just made this to bring to a friend tomorrow and my entire apartment smells like pumpkin and coffee - my two favorite things! If I hadn't promised this to my friend, I'd be devouring this RIGHT NOW!

[Carol Whitley]

Thought you should know I made this delicious bread for our coffee house here in Mt. Pleasant, SC. It's a huge hit. I shared your blog on our fb. Would love to see you create a recipe book, too. Thank you! :)

[JoAnn]

Happy new reader here! I've got about twenty minutes left on the timer before this beauty comes out of the oven. I'm sending it to my daughter in college (she's not far; I'll let it cool, pack it up, and she'll have it in her hands by tomorrow). It looks gorgeous and smells heavenly. Beautiful blog, lovely recipes and photography. Glad I found you :-) Chewy vanilla bean cinnamon bars are next on my list!

[Friday Delights]

I love your blog!!!

[Heather]

My bread just left the oven! The house smells so delicious, I'm going to have a hard time resisting a slice before we serve it to guests after dinner tonight! Beautiful photos and lovely writing--it was impossible to not try out this recipe after I read your post. Can't wait to come back the next time I need inspiration!

[Abbey]

I've made quite a few of your recipes and have loved all of them but I must say that this one is my new favorite. I will be making this regularly during the fall holiday season. Amazing!

[Shelly]

Two of my favorite things! Only thing is I'm wheat free so I'm going to experiment with almond flour - maybe a little coconut flour. Do you think just using some leftover espresso would work?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Shelly-- You could substitute strong espresso in for the milk, if you don't have espresso powder or instant coffee on hand. Make sure that the espresso is very strong or the flavor won't shine through to the bread (and we wouldn't want that to happen!).

[Whitney]

This bread is fantastic. I made it on a whim last night: both my husband and I had to restrain ourselves from consuming the entire loaf. And good reason -it's even better the next morning once the flavors have time to develop. Thank you for a great recipe! I'm already planning to make a second loaf this afternoon to share with friends.

[Jyhoward]

I made this bread because I love pumpkin and espresso. The bread was just, ok. I think all of the spices need to be at least doubled including the espresso. I love the photography!

[Tess]

Just waiting to take the loaf out of the oven...awesome concept of using espressor powder with the pumpkin. I added some raisins, I know it is going to be excellent! Can't wait to try it! Thanks for your awesome recipe.

[Katka]

Baked it today and its absolutely delicious. First time I used my home-made pumpkin puree and result is amazing. Thanks for this recipe. I wish you all the the best in New Year :-)

[Becca]

Made this for a birthday celebration and it was wonderful!

[Laurie]

Oh my. This bread is divine. Perfect texture, lovely flavor, it kept everyone coming back for more. Absolutely delicious in every possible way. I blogged it at http://mybakingadventure.tumblr.com/post/45503182889/pumpkin-espresso-bread. I made a few changes to the recipe but the inspiration and glory all go to you. I used whole wheat white flour, swapped out half the oil for yogurt, used a bit less sugar, and changed the spice proportions very slightly. SO GOOD! Thank you!

[Michelle]

I made this last night, and we all loved it! The texture is amazing, and it tastes so good. I used olive oil instead of the vegetable oil, but that was the only change. Thank you so much for the recipe! :)

[Brooke]

I wanted to bake something with pumpkin for the first time ever today and since I already had espresso powder from making your espresso granola, I chose this. Wow. After I had a slice I declared this the best recipe I've ever tried.. ever. I plan on making another loaf tomorrow. Excellent recipe, thank you and happy fall!
Brooke