This Healthier Pumpkin Banana Bread is generously spiced and is made using applesauce and spelt flour, and then spread with an addicting Maple Caramel Cream Cheese Icing.
This is the moistest quick bread that I have ever had. No contest. It has all the powerhouses of moistness: brown sugar, buttermilk, pumpkin and banana!
If you forget about the icing for a moment (which would be sad but not the end of the world), this bread is quite healthy! The only ingredient holding this pumpkin banana bread out of the Full-On-Healthy category is the sugar…because there is, um, a lot of sugar.
What do you want from me? I heart brown sugar with my pumpkin. Is that so wrong?
Aaaannnd then there is obviously the Maple Caramel Icing to completely separate this bread from Healthy. A silky, decadent maple cream cheese frosting made with my Maple Caramel Sauce.
Pure pumpkin maple bliss.
{Little sigh of pleasure}
The bread is ridiculously addictive and delicious even unadorned with frosting. It is incredibly moist and bursting with pumpkin and spices! I ate an entire mini-loaf by myself the first night. BAD.
But oh so good.
This pumpkin bread is packed full of Fall spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and, yes, mace. Don’t forget the mace! It’s my secret ingredient that I shared in my post about Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I used mostly spelt flour in place of all-purpose flour in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, using 100% all-purpose flour will be just as wonderful.
Healthier Banana Pumpkin Bread with Maple Caramel Icing
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground mace
- 3 medium (very ripe bananas)
- 16 oz pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs (lightly beaten)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese (no whipped, no low-fat)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (cold but still firm)
- pinch kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- ⅓ cup Maple Caramel Sauce (Recipe Here)
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Banana Bread:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° and butter and sugar (or flour) 2: 9 inch x 5 inch x 3 inch loaf pans or 6 mini pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, powder, salt and all the spices; set aside.
- In a separate bowl {if you are using an immersion blender like me} or in the pitcher of a blender, add the bananas and process until smooth. Next add the pumpkin, applesauce and oil; process until smooth. Add the buttermilk, and process to incorporate. Add the brown and granulated sugar and process until smooth. Last add the eggs and process until incorporated.
- If you are using a blender, pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and gently fold to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Fold until very few lumps remain.
- Pour into your prepared baking pans. The batter should fill about ⅔ of the pan. It will rise! If you find yourself with extra batter, pour into muffin tins or into another small loaf pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-75 minutes. The baking time varies greatly by the pan that you choose. Start peaking at 45 minutes. When the bread no longer jiggles in the center, test with a toothpick. It should come out clean or with very few crumbs clinging to it. Cool 20 minute in the pan and then turn them out to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the Frosting:
- Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, salt and cinnamon on medium speed until smooth and creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and creamy. Slowly pour the caramel into the frosting in gradual increments until the frosting is a spreadable consistency and achieves the maple flavor you desire. My maple caramel was a bit runny so I added full amount but then added some more powdered sugar to thicken it back up. You can adjust to your liking.
- Frost cool loaves with an offset spatula. The frosting will keep best in the refrigerator but it will also keep for several days at room temperature.
Today is October 23rd, 2017. I'm a little bit late to the party here. I stumbled onto you through a lasagna thread on Pinterest. I almost NEVER post comments. (WHO HAS THE TIME!) But I HAVE to say this to you: this blog is beyond amazing. I love every bit of it. Yes, there are 20 million+ other food sites out there, but this one is now my all-time fave. It'll be my #1 go-to from here on. I love your theme.....America does offer the best food hands down. Thank you for offering it to the world!!
Can't wait to dive into the pumpkin banana bread and the maple caramel pecan bars! Yum.
Oh Jana, thank you so much! Your comment made my day! You are never too late to join this party! Happy to have you here. 🙂
Your photographs are spectacular.
Could I use almond flour instead?
Hi Michelle, I've never tried it with almond flour so I am not sure. Almond flour is a lot coarser and heavier than all-purpose, which will impact the texture of your bread.
Just found this on Pinterest--thank goodness! Don't hate me, but what would happen if I used skim milk or soy milk instead of buttermilk, less sugar and wheat flour instead of regular? My husband is super extreme... : ( but I want him to eat it! Many thanks for any insights you might have for me...
I'm glad you found it Lisa! I'm not 100% positive what would happen if you made those substitutions because I haven't tried them, but these are my best guesses. Substituting anything for the buttermilk will compromise the texture but I am sure you could do it. I use low fat buttermilk (2%), so it's really not the worst offender in this recipe. I always worry that soy milk will alter the flavor but it might work here because there are a lot of spices going on. You can definitely reduce the sugar...there is a lot of sugar. You could probably safely halve it. I would taste it before you bake it just to make sure it doesn't need more. If you can tolerate it, try only substituting half the flour for whole wheat flour OR use whole wheat pastry flour to avoid a completely dense bread.
Thank you so much for the fast response and great suggestions. I will let you know how it goes! : )))
Please do! Another reader substituted coconut oil for the canola oil in addition to reducing the sugar, and she said it worked well, so you could try that too!
That icing is killing me because I want some of it right now! My hubby does not like banana bread but I wonder if he would go for this. I can't wait to try it and find out. Thanks for sharing at the Merry Monday Linky party. I hope you'll be able to join us again next week.
Who doesn't like banana bread?!?!!? Thanks for stopping by, Jade!
Oh my! Maple caramel cream cheese icing sounds just about sinful. Pinning because this looks amazing. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Oh it is and totally worth every sinful bite!
I just made this delicious bread! It was so ridiculously moist. I used coconut oil instead of canola oil. I also used half the amount of sugar and it was still overly sweet. Next time I will cutback even more. I also added 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste. I have made hundreds of pumpkin breads however, I have to say this one is one of the moistest. I bet this would be delicious as petite fours, if baked in a jelly pan and cut in squares for the holidays.
Such a great sub! I should have used coconut oil as well! There is a LOT of sugar in it. It is absolutely the moistest quick bread that I have ever had. I am glad you enjoyed it! I think it would be good as petite fours or even cake pops 🙂
Oh my heavens, I am DyING over that frosting right now!! It looks unbelievably amazing!!!
Thanks, renee! The frosting is definitely to die for!