Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Warm, cozy, and perfectly spiced — this Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bread brings together the rich flavor of pumpkin with aromatic chai spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, it's perfect for fall mornings or holiday gatherings.

📝 Ingredients

For the pumpkin bread:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup milk (any type)

For the cream cheese frosting:

4 oz (115g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk (optional, for desired consistency)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Preheat oven:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Mix dry ingredients:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and all spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg).
Mix wet ingredients:
In another large bowl, whisk together oil, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
Combine:
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined.
Bake:
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool:
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until fluffy. Add milk to adjust consistency if needed.
Frost & serve:
Spread the frosting over the cooled pumpkin bread. Slice and enjoy!