This sweet but not too sweet loaf is delicious with a slather of cream cheese mixed with a little maple syrup. I often make it to use up last bits of pumpkin left over from pies, or just as a nice treat to tuck into Kevin's lunchbox.
Adapted From Food To Grow On, by Rena and Susan Mendelson
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl until combined. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter (or shortening) with the sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Stir in the pumpkin and milk.
Add the flour mixture and stir until just smooth, then pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top. Now, I like crunchy tops on my quick breads, so I sprinkle some sugar in the raw over the top, and then bake. This step is optional. It does add extra sugar and the loaf is already quite sweet, but I like the little extra sugary crunch.
Bake at 350 F for about an hour, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan, and then remove and cool completely.
Makes 1 loaf
