Ribbon Pumpkin Bread

This recipe originally from a Taste of Home Magazine, but I made a few changes over the last few years. It is a wonderfully moist bread and little ones in the family can't figure out how "that white stuff got in the middle"!

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Yields: 2 Loaves

Ingredients

• Ribbon Filling

• 8  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon plain flour
• 1  egg
• 2  teaspoons orange zest

• Bread

• 1  cup canned pumpkin
• 1⁄2 cup  oil
• 2  eggs
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 2⁄3 cups plain flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  cup  chopped pecans or 1  cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour together, add egg and orange zest, mix to blend and set aside.
2. In large bowl, mix pumpkin, oil and eggs.
3. Add sugar, flour, soda, salt, spices and nuts, if using, stir just till blended.
4. Pour half this mixture into 2 greased and floured 7 1/2"x 3 1/2" loaf pans.
5. Spread half the filling mixture over batter in each pan, add remaining batter to cover the filling layer.
6. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees, till loaves test done with pick.
7. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.