Supremely soft and full of fall flavor, this iced pumpkin ricotta loaf is one of my favorite fall bakes. I originally thought it was going to be a coffee cake, but decided to reach for the loaf pan instead of an 8 x 8. But you could certainly serve this loaf with coffee. Or tea. Or cider. Or all of the above!

sliced pumpkin loaf resting on a wooden serving platter. There is a thick layer of frosting on the loaf. this recipe

As far as cakes go, this loaf is simple and straightforward. The only thing that’s a little more involved is browning some butter for both the batter and the frosting. While it might seem like an unnecessary step, browning the butter makes for much better flavor in this recipe.

In the cake itself, it goes really well with the fall flavors and rich spices. And in the frosting, there’s not many things that play better together than browned butter and cream cheese. Add in some cinnamon and vanilla?? Super rich, super creamy and the perfect fall frosting for this iced pumpkin ricotta loaf.

small white speckled plate with a slice of pumpkin loaf. There is a rose gold fork cutting into the slice.

I used a different iteration of this frosting for my small batch carrot cake from last Easter. Even without the cinnamon, it’s seriously some of the best frosting you can put on a cake.

Browning the butter

You just need one stick of unsalted butter for this entire recipe. Choose a good quality butter with at least 82% butterfat. I usually stick with Nellie’s or Kerrygold, but make sure to see if there’s any local creameries around you that sell their butter, too.

When you actually begin melting the butter, be sure to use a stainless steel or a saucepan with a light colored interior. That makes it super easy to gauge when the butter is done. If you really can’t use something like that, then you can also go by smell, although it’s not as accurate. The butter will turn nutty and fragrant as soon as the color starts to change, but it should be browned a bit longer than that for maximum flavor.

clear butter that has melted and is ready to be browned in a silver saucepan.
clear butter that has melted and is ready to be browned in a silver saucepan.
clear butter that has melted and is ready to be browned in a silver saucepan.
clear butter that has been browned in a silver saucepan.
clear butter that has been browned in a silver saucepan.
clear butter that has been browned in a silver saucepan.

A bare bones stainless steel pan will do just fine, we love our Cuisinart ones from Amazon.

Once the butter is browned, immediately add it to a thick glass measuring cup. Pyrex is heatproof and has always worked for me. Let the butter cool in the fridge for a good half hour before you use it in the recipe.

Ricotta

Honestly, I had no sour cream, mascarpone, or anything in my fridge except for a tub of ricotta. And my little testing brain went nuts. Could ricotta be a substitute for sour cream? YES! It made this pumpkin loaf super moist with a rich texture and even better flavor.

wet ingredients for the pumpkin loaf batter, including pumpkin, eggs, brown butter, oil, brown sugar, ricotta cheese and white sugar.
pumpkin loaf batter being folded together in a large glass mixing bowl.
pumpkin loaf batter being folded together in a large glass mixing bowl.
pumpkin loaf batter being folded together in a large glass mixing bowl.
finished pumpkin loaf batter in a large glass mixing bowl.
pumpkin loaf batter being spread into a prepared loaf pan.

The rest of the ingredients for the loaf batter are things you more than likely have in your kitchen. Eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, you know. You may not have ground cloves, but this pumpkin loaf would be totally fine without them. But they do come in handy for other fall baking recipes!

Frosting

Oh, this frosting. A little small batch of heaven is what it is. Remember the butter you browned for the loaf batter earlier? Of course you do. Take the 1/4 cup you didn’t use for the loaf batter and beat it with half a brick of cream cheese. It won’t take long at all to smooth out and combine.

sliced pumpkin loaf resting on a wooden serving platter. There is a thick layer of frosting on the loaf.

Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and beat everything until smooth. The cool thing about cream cheese frosting is that the powdered sugar draws out more moisture from the cream cheese as you beat it. Meaning this frosting is extra silky smooth and luxurious.

Seriously, you won’t want to stop eating this by the spoon full. Whew.

Print
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sliced pumpkin loaf resting on a wooden serving platter. There is a thick layer of frosting on the loaf.

Iced Pumpkin Ricotta Loaf

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cooling & Chilling: 4 hours (min)
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours + 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10–12 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Brunch
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the loaf:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided (will be browned and split in half between the batter and frosting)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 TB light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 TB vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup browned butter (remaining butter from the batter)
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 TB heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the loaf:

  1. Add the entire 1/2 cup of unsalted butter to a steel or light colored saucepan. Try to use one with a heavier bottom to prevent the butter from burning.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat and continue to cook. The butter will sizzle and foam a bit before the milk solids sink to the bottom. Once they do, you’ll be left with the clear golden butterfat on top and a good view of the milk solids on the bottom of the pan.
  3. Watch the milk solids closely, stirring occasionally as they continue to cook. Eventually, they’ll begin turning a light golden and the butter will smell fragrant and nutty. Stir the browning butter constantly for barely another 10 seconds or so, and pull it from the heat as soon as it becomes a medium toasty brown.
  4. Immediately pour the browned butter into a heatproof glass measuring cup (I use Pyrex) and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before continuing the recipe. Alternatively, you can place the cup in the freezer for 15 minutes, but be sure to use a hot pad underneath the cup. Preheat the oven to 350 once you’ve finished browning the butter.
  5. Once the butter has cooled a bit, set it aside and whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves together in a small mixing bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside.
  6. In another, larger mixing bowl, add half of the browned butter (1/4 cup liquid), the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ricotta cheese, oil, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients together well until blended and smooth. Set the remaining 1/4 cup of browned butter aside for the frosting.
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet all at once, and gently fold the batter together with a spatula. The batter will be quite thick, but still slightly pourable.
  8. Lightly grease or line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper and scrape the batter into the pan. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to smooth out the surface. Bake the loaf at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back lightly when pressed with your finger.
  9. Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling to room temperature. Be sure that the loaf is fully cooled before frosting, or the frosting will melt and get messy.

Make the frosting:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy. Add the remaining 1/4 cup browned butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract (or bean paste.)
  2. Beat on medium speed for another minute. The powdered sugar will cause the cream cheese to release a little moisture, so the frosting will end up a little more loose than you think. This is okay! The consistency will be nice and spreadable, but it will still set up into a perfect thick icing.
  3. Frost the cooled loaf with the entire batch of icing. It will be quite a thick layer on top. Allow the frosted loaf to set in the fridge for a couple hours to completely chill and to allow the frosting to set up.
  4. Cut into slices and serve. Leftovers may be refrigerated for a few weeks or stored at room temperature for 3 days.

Equipment

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 frosted slice
  • Calories: 254
  • Sugar: 14.1 g
  • Sodium: 252.5 mg
  • Fat: 16.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.7 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23.5 g
  • Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 3.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 70 mg

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