Recipe: Pumpkin Pecan Tea Bread

PUMPKIN PECAN TEA BREAD

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light or dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (solid-pack not pie filling)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9x5x2 3/4-inch loaf pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a piece of waxed paper, and grease the paper. Lightly dust the pans with flour and shake out the excess.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and both sugars with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin pie filling, sour cream, and vanilla, and mix well. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the pecans. Spread the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool the loaves in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the loaves, and turn them out onto the rack. Peel off the paper, and allow the loaves to cool completely.

Makes 2 loaves
Source: U.S.A. Cookbook by Sheila Lukins