cardamom sugar swirled cider pumpkin bread

Comfort baking is essential in this period, and pumpkin may be teetering on the edge of a toothpick but I firmly believe it characterizes any cooler month we inhabit and I will not cease faith in the gourd until I use all of my puree cans. Cardamom is a spice not overly popular in the US but hugely utilized in Sweden. Kardemummabullar occupied many a pastry plate when I resided abroad, as did semlor and kanelbullar which is cinnamon-based but tinged with its cousin. This bread is knotted with a spiral of cardamon-infused sugar nestled in a base of soft, sweet, delightful wheat and a generous pour of honeycrisp cider for extra spice. Each slice only contains about 1 gram of fat and minimal sugar derived from more natural sources. Dig in, friends!

Whenever we open-water swim nowadays I bring some kind of healthier but tasty treat as our snack afterwards. For obvious seasonal reasons, pumpkin bread entered the rotation and hasn’t really left yet. I do not overly sweeten any baked good I create – you can also thank my time in Sweden for that, as well as the cardamom – but I tend to drizzle a touch of honey atop for the flavor boost. You definitely don’t need to do this. You could also call the cardamom sugar optional, but I’d encourage you to include it. Extra credit, if you will. Except that extra credit is somewhat required.

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cardamom sugar swirled cider pumpkin bread

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"This doesn't taste healthy" is the best compliment one can offer for anything I bake. J shared this statement with me upon sampling and it made me glow! Super moist, oil- and butter-free, loaded with pumpkin and hinted with honeycrisp apple cider. A ton of autumnal delight in one dense, soft, fragrant snack loaf.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

  

• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp clove
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp each baking powder & baking soda

cardamom sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a bread pan with oil. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, cider, yogurt, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the wet and fold gently with a spatula until well incorporated.
• The sugar is nice and simple. Just mix sugar, cardamon, and cinnamon into a small bowl until the components meld.
• Pour about half of the batter into the bread pan. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the cardamom sugar evenly across the surface. Scoop the remaining batter overtop and spread lightly so it spans the length and width of the pan. With a butter knife, swirl the batter in whatever pattern you'd like to distribute the cinnamon sugar filling. Dash the reserved cardamom sugar atop.
• Bake loaf for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 20-30 minutes before slicing – the loaf is quite tender if cut into too soon. Serve with cream cheese, butter, honey, or just on its own.