If there’s one food I miss on a paleo diet, it’s cream cheese. Slathered onto bagels (Oh… now I miss bagels, too), spread across warm slices of paleo pumpkin bread, stirred into herb dips, whipped with butter and sugar and piped onto muffins? Cream cheese is my jam. Coincidentally… also quite like cream cheese on toast with jam, now that you mention it.Alas, cream cheese isn’t exactly paleo-friendly, even though I do include some dairy, like yogurt and butter, in my diet. When it comes to food I make for us to enjoy at home, though, I keep conventional, non-fermented dairy out of it. That doesn’t mean my craving for the tangy, creamy stuff goes away! Especially when it comes to paleo pumpkin bread.In autumn, all the paleo pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake combos are on the horizon of potential, just staring at me from their peak of perfect pairings. I’ve already shared my recipe for paleo pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with cream cheese frosting with you, so you know the paleo pumpkin bread + cream cheese love is so real. But this? This is something else.Paleo pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl. Here’s how this paleo pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl gets its wings: A layer of creamy, tangy (but still easy!) dairy-free “cream cheese” is sandwiched between layers of a tender, spiced paleo pumpkin bread with the perfect crumb, then topped with more of the sweet paleo cream cheese. The result, this paleo pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl, is magical and indulgent with no gluten, no grains, no refined sugar, and no dairy.It’s a Great Pumpkin miracle, pretty sure, y’all.The truest compliment to the recipe, though, is in how entirely too fast I consumed it. During the fall and winter, I’m surrounded by holiday treats–all paleo, of course–and they beckon to me throughout the day, seducing a quick after-meal bite or mid-afternoon snack. I try my best to avoid snacking on “paleoified” treats too often, but I had positively no fight against this paleo pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl.Each morning, I’d jimmy a slice of this paleo pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl out of the loaf pan, take it with my coffee to the couch, and sit there with Leo in the morning, watching Curious George and negotiating with myself about going back for seconds. Filling but not heavy, tender but not too soft, spiced but not overly so, it’s a fantastic breakfast, snack, or treat during fall and winter!
Why This Recipe Works
The paleo pumpkin bread base is tender and moist but not too dense with the perfect crumb. An easy and sweet, dairy-free “cream cheese” layer goes in between and on top of a couple layers of the paleo pumpkin bread, leveling up the everyday paleo pumpkin bread with a rich and tangy addition. It’s totally dairy- and grain-free! Sweetened only with unrefined sweeteners, too.
Variations
Skip the cream cheese layer entirely if you like! You’ll still end up with the perfect paleo pumpkin bread loaf. Stir a handful of chocolate chips into the paleo pumpkin bread batter for a super indulgent treat. Turn the baked slices into French toast! Soak the slices in a mixture of eggs and almond milk with a few dashes of cinnamon then fry them up in ghee or coconut oil. O-M-goodness.
Tips
Use a high-speed blender to make sure the cream cheese layer becomes very, very smooth. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 4-6 hours to ensure a smooth mixture. Pulse the dry ingredients for the paleo pumpkin bread together in a food processor then add the wet ingredients. Fewer dishes and steps! Make sure you use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
More Recipes To Try
Pumpkin Churros with Dark Chocolate Sauce (Made in the Waffle Iron) Paleo Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Pumpkin Breakfast Bake (Sweet Potato, Apple, Vanilla Bean) Perfect Paleo Brownies (Fudgy, Crackly Top, Gluten Free) Healthy-ish Apple Nachos Pumpkin Muffins with a Spiced Crumb Topping Sweet Potato Apple Breakfast Bake Caramel Apple Microwave Cake
