In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together.
15 ounces canned pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just incorporated. The batter will be very thick.
Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan generously with vegetable oil spray.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Tap on the counter to release air bubbles and smooth the top with a spatula. Add some walnuts and dried cranberries to the top if desired.
Bake at 350℉ until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs, approximately 50-60 minutes.
Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Dump out the bread (it should come out easily from the spray) and let the bread cool on a wire rack for one hour.
Notes
The walnuts are completely optional, but I find they bring a great texture to the bread. You can also use other nuts like pecans. If you do not add nuts, increase the dried cranberries to 2 cups.Learn how to make your own pumpkin spice blend here!Ceramic and porcelain loaf pans can take a little longer than metal pans to bake. You can also bake this in round or rectangular cake pans however the cooking time will be much faster since it is thinner.