My OG pumpkin bread recipe is great on its own, don’t get me wrong. I have loved making and tweaking and perfecting that recipe for quite a few autumns now, and how could I not? But recently, I’ve found out my iron levels are low, and when I learned just how easy it is to hide a fun shape into a bread loaf, inspiration struck. That my friends, is what brings up here. It took about 4 solid attempts to really get it right, but once I did I knew I was in business — each tasted great, it was really just the fact that I wanted to make sure I had a gorgeous crisp cut-out to boot when I sliced in. And now, I want to share that how-to directly with you here!
The whole thing is iron-rich (and refined sugar free and dairy free!) by design, clearly not by accident. As an iron deficient girlie pop trying to up her game, I’ve done my homework. Blackstrap molasses is one of the most iron-dense things sitting in a normal pantry, and it’s doing work in 2 places here for that reason: the cutout layer and the loaf batter both lean on it, cut with regular molasses and maple syrup so the flavor doesn’t go fully assertive on you. Pepitas in the topping add a second, smaller boost to round this out as an iron rich dessert!
Speaking of the topping: maple candied pecans and pumpkin seeds, toasted, glazed, hardened, then roughly chopped and scattered over the cooled loaf. It’s the easiest part of this whole process and also the part that makes people ask what’s in it before they’ve even cut a slice. Truly I am a huge fan of a maple candied nut so much, I’ve reached the place of being able to eyeball when its reached the right temperature accurately… thats how often I accessorize with it in the fall and winter bakes!
A few things worth knowing before you make this: the cutout layer needs 2 rounds of freezing. I know, it’s part of the reason this takes time. Once as a full slab before you cut it, once again after cutting, so the shapes hold when the wet batter goes around them. Skip that second freeze and you’ll get soft edges instead of a defined shape. If you’re using a larger cookie cutter than what’s specified, account for that; more cutout means you need more batter to fill in around it, or you’ll end up where I started with it showing through the top! And we don’t want to ruin the surprise!
This bake is a standout as a gift to someone, bringing to a gathering, an at home family after dinner treat, and some would say you could pass this off as breakfast (although in my house, that doesn’t count unless its a very special occasion). I just know you are going to love love love the flavor, this truly feels like a 2.0 version for me in many ways of my standard pumpkin bread, and I think this is the only one I really want to make moving forward.
Spiced Molasses and Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- 9×5-inch loaf pan
- 8×8-inch pan or quarter sheet pan (for the molasses cutout layer)
- Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter
- Mixing bowls, whisk
- Small skillet (for the candied topping)
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Molasses Cutout Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 125g
- ¼ tsp baking soda 1g
- ¼ tsp salt 1.5g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2g
- ½ tsp ground ginger 1g
- ¼ tsp ground cloves 0.5g
- ¼ tsp ground allspice 0.5g
- 5 tbsp neutral oil 71g
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses 85g
- ¼ cup original molasses 85g
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tbsp plant milk of choice 30ml
Pumpkin Loaf Batter:
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 330g
- 1½ tsp baking powder 7.5g
- ¾ tsp baking soda 3.5g
- ¾ tsp salt 4.5g
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice 6g
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree 360g
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup neutral oil 158g
- ¾ cup maple syrup 255g
- 3 tbsp blackstrap molasses 60g
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract 7.5ml
Maple candied pecans and pumpkin seeds:
- ½ cup pecan halves roughly chopped (55g)
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds pepitas (35g)
- ¼ cup maple syrup 40g
- ¼ tsp cinnamon 0.5g
- ¼ tsp flaky salt 1.5g
Instructions
Make the molasses cutout layer:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the 8×8 pan with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, both molasses, egg, egg yolk, and milk just until combined — don’t whisk longer than needed, extra air works against the density you’re going for here.
- Fold the wet into the dry until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread to an even layer, about ½ inch thick. Bake 10–14 minutes — a denser batter sets faster than a fluffy one, so start checking a couple minutes early. Pull as soon as a toothpick comes out clean; overbaking dries this layer out fast.
- Let cool completely, then freeze the whole slab for 30 minutes until firm enough to cut clean shapes. Cut into pumpkin shapes with your cookie cutter, lay the cutouts on a parchment-lined plate, and freeze again while you make the batter.
Make the pumpkin batter:
- Reduce oven to 325°F. Grease and line the loaf pan with parchment, leaving overhang on the long sides.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla until smooth. Fold into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Assemble:
- Pour about a third of the batter into the loaf pan. Stand your frozen pumpkin cutouts up in a row down the center, pressing gently to hold them in place. Pour the remaining batter around and over them, covering completely — with the larger cutouts and the extra batter volume, expect this to fill the pan closer to the top than a standard loaf.
- Bake 55–70 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 35 minutes if the top is browning too fast. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the batter (not through a cutout) comes out clean. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then lift out by the parchment overhang and cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Candy the topping:
- While the loaf cools, toast the pecans and pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, 2–3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the maple syrup, salt and cinnamon, stirring constantly until the syrup bubbles and clings to the nuts, about 2 minutes. Pour directly onto the cooled loaf.
- Let top cool completely, then slice and reveal the inside pumpkin!
Notes
Storage: wrap tightly and keep at room temp up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to a week. Add the candied topping just before serving if making ahead, since it softens over time.