Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread

Doesn't that just sound heavenly?

It was...

I found this recipe from Lick the Bowl Good. Its definitely one of my "go-to" food blogs for great recipes.

I made this to take to a brunch with some friends one morning and it did not disappoint.Cream cheese filling:
8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 T. flourPumpkin Bread:

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1- 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two 9x5 inch bread pans.

For the Cream Cheese Filling: Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a mixer. Add the sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Don't overmix! Stir in the flour and set aside.

For the Pumpkin Bread: Sift together the flour, powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the sugar and melted butter. Then stir in the pumpkin, water, and vanilla.

Combine the flour and pumpkin mixtures, being careful not to overmix. Divide the batter in half. Then, take one half and divide it between the two bread pans. Pour half the cream cheese filling into each pan, then top with remaining half of batter. Smooth the tops and bake an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Note: I had a little trouble with "smoothing the tops"... They didn't quite smooth right and my cream cheese wasn't exactly the layer it should have been... Instead, it was kind of a blob in the middle of my bread, but it was still delicious... I have a theory that if you add a little more water to the pumpkin mix, it will be easier to pour and spread over the cream cheese layer. Try it or just try the original way and just go with it. Either way, it was delicious!

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn our and cool loaves to room temperature.