Shelly's Recipe

PUMPKIN CARAMEL CHEESECAKE TURTLE BREAD

Category: Quick Breads

Pumpkin Bread:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (plain, not the already made pumpkin pie kind)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

Caramel Cheesecake Filling:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp Caramel Sauce
1 tbsp flour
1 large egg

Topping:
Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)
Caramel Sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour three mini loaf pans (3 1/2 -x- 5 inch).

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, syrup and caramel sauce for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl and add flour. Beat flour into mixture until fully incorporated. If using stand mixer, transfer cheesecake filling to a separate bowl. Set aside. If using the stand mixer, clean and dry the bowl to use again.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and sugars into the bowl and beat for about 1 minute. Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. This is a quick bread so you don’t want to over mix. Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the three prepared loaf pans (I find it best to use an ice cream scoop. I like to use 2 scoops for the bottom). Spread the batter out evenly.

Spoon cheesecake mixture on top of pumpkin batter layer, a little less than 2/3 of a cup. Scoop the remaining batter on top of the cheesecake layer, again about 2 ice cream scoops worth.

(If you do not want to bother with the layering you can just spoon some pumpkin batter, then cheesecake, then pumpkin batter again and use a knife to make swirls in the bread. Tastes just as good.)

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Let breads cool completely before glazing.

Pour chocolate glaze over breads, about 1/3 cup each. Sprinkle pecans on top of the glaze. Followed by extra caramel sauce if desired (but really, why wouldn’t you want it).

Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2-4 tbsp milk (depending on how thick you want your glaze)

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and 2 tbsp of milk until smooth and glossy. If you want a thinner glaze add more milk, 1 tbsp at a time.