Kent Whitaker, also known as “The Deck Chef,” is an award-winning culinary writer and cookbook author. He’s also penned Young Reader, NASCAR, and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motorsports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill. You can reach out to Kent at www.thedeckchef.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Halloween Pumpkin Bread – You can’t have Halloween without having pumpkins! The winter squash is not only a Fall staple when it
comes to decorating, a spice when it comes to fall coffee fans, but also a favorite ingredient in many
dishes. That includes the ever-popular baked good – pumpkin bread!
The problem is that some people just don’t have the time to put together the 10 or so ingredients
needed for homemade pumpkin bread. That does not include the time you’ll need to harvest the inside
of your pumpkin and make a puree out of it.
The good news for this recipe is that you only need three basic ingredients for this Quick and Easy
Halloween Pumpkin Bread. You can set your baking fears aside with this time-saver!
Three Ingredient Pumpkin Bread
This recipe only includes a few ingredients and a couple of tips for keeping your pumpkin bread moist.
Plus the bonus candy ingredients for converting your loaves into a tasty Halloween treat.
Ingredients:
1 box (14 oz) spice cake mix, dry
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree – NOT pumpkin pie filling
1 egg
Yep – that’s it! Here’s all you need! At least for the basic pumpkin bread recipe. Check out the options
below the directions.
Directions:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Next, combine the cake mix with the pumpkin puree and the
egg. Your chosen box of cake mix may call for milk, water, additional eggs, and oil. It depends on the
brand you choose. Don’t worry, the puree acts as the moisture that the milk would have provided. If you
add anything additional at this stage then just add a splash of oil or melted butter.
You can use a large loaf pan, a cake pan, mini loaf pans, or even cupcakes or muffin pans. Prepare the
pan if not using non-stick and spoon the mixture in. Bake at 350 for 35 – 40 minutes if using a loaf or
cake pan. Mini loaf and cupcake pans may cook quicker. Start checking for doneness about 30 minutes
into whichever you choose by inserting a toothpick until it comes out clean.
The Halloween Candy, Nut, and Berry Twist
Try this Halloween sweet tooth tip! Chop some candy corn up, chocolate bars, or whatever Halloween
treat you have that sounds tasty! Fold your added ingredients into the bowl during the mixing process.
The muffin-sized Pumpkin Bread portions lend themselves to orange cupcake icing with sprinkles or
even chopped pecans or walnuts. Another option would be to add golden raisins, cranberries, or even
chopped apple bits to your pumpkin bread!
Keeping Your Pumpkin Bread Moist
When your bread comes out of the oven brush it with a light coating of melted butter. Allow the bread
to cool and wrap it with cling wrap and allow it to sit overnight.
The basic Pumpkin Bread recipe is perfect on its own and packed with flavor. You can choose to add
additional ingredients if you choose so. The candy route is fun and different while the traditional bread,
or with walnuts or pecans, can be a crowd pleaser too. Heck, combine the raisins and cranberries with
some walnuts and some chopped candy corn. See what kind of palet-pleasing variations you can come
up with.
