It’s been quite an adventure the last few weeks since Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, but I’m finally back (with electricity, water, and internet)! In the days leading up to the hurricane, I tried to use most of my ingredients in the refrigerator by making dishes that would last a few days at room temperature. One of the recipes I turned to was for this pumpkin bread, which is so incredibly moist it could even be a cake. It is one of my favorite recipes for the holidays because it’s so easy to make and actually tastes better over time (I’m not kidding)! Boy were we glad to have this delicious pumpkin bread to munch on for a few days while the power was out.

I love to use Trader Joe’s pumpkin puree for this recipe because it’s organic and inexpensive, but you can use any brand of your choice. Just make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Be sure to give this pumpkin bread a try this holiday season. A fun idea is to bake in mini loaf pans to give away as gifts!

Note: This recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree, which is about half of a 15 ounce can. Wondering what to do with the remaining half of puree? Don’t fret, try out my Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!

Recipe
Yield: 1 regular size loaf

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a regular size loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. (Do not over mix the batter!)
4. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.