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Mini Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

Mini pumpkin bread with cinnamon swirl makes moist, tender mini loaves with sweet cinnamon-sugar ribbons. Batter is mixed just until the flour disappears, layered with a damp-sand cinnamon mixture, and baked until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mini Pumpkin Bread
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.33 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp melted butter

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 4 mini loaf pans or line them with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl until evenly combined and no spice clumps remain.
Make the wet batter base
  1. Combine the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
Add eggs and pumpkin
  1. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each until the mixture looks uniform.
  2. Mix in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract until fully combined, with no streaks of pumpkin visible.
Combine batter
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry flour remains. Stop mixing as soon as the batter is cohesive to avoid toughness.
Make the cinnamon swirl
  1. Stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until the swirl mixture resembles damp sand with a crumbly texture.
Fill pans and swirl
  1. Fill each mini loaf pan halfway with batter. Aim for an even layer so the swirl distributes consistently.
  2. Sprinkle a generous layer of the cinnamon mixture over the batter. Keep the layer thick enough to form ribbons.
  3. Add the remaining batter to each pan and finish with the remaining cinnamon mixture on top. Distribute the topping so it covers most of the surface.
  4. Swirl gently with a butter knife in small figure-eight motions. Use light pressure so the layers stay distinct.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake for 28–35 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached and the tops look set.
  2. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely so the crumb firms up.
Serve
  1. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Serve when the center is no longer wet-glossy.

Notes

Pro tip: Don’t overmix once the flour goes in—lumps are okay, but stop as soon as no dry flour remains for tender crumb. Store airtight at room temperature for 2–3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze sliced loaves up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use unsweetened applesauce in place of some oil (reduce by 1–2 tbsp) while keeping the sugars the same for a similar moist texture.