Pumpkin Bread

Getting ready for Timmy's 5th Grade Bake Sale, I asked my friends what would be good items to have for sale. Being that it is now Fall, there were some shout outs for anything pumpkin. Guess who volunteered their Pumpkin Bread recipe? You guessed it -- Martha! My friend LaDawna amped up the WOW factor, by suggesting that we slice it horizontally at the center and at the top, and then add Cream Cheese Frosting. GENIUS! Huge seller at the bake sale, not to mention extremely scrumptious!

For more information on Martha's recipe, you can visit the post in her blog at:http://www.throwingspoons.com/2007/10/great-pumpkin-bread.html

• 3 ½ cups flour
• 2 ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 can (15-16 oz.) pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour TWO 9x5x3" loaf pans.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin and oil (it will look curdled -- it's ok!)
5. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each.
6. Make a well in the flour, adding pumpkin, and stirring to moisten.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
8. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. (1 package) Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract