Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

The Personal Challenge that Led to an Awesome Recipe Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread Don't give me something delicious and then tell me it's a secret family recipe. Years ago, an acquaintance did that with her pumpkin cream cheese bread, and I took it as a personal challenge.
What I discovered after many late nights in the kitchen was that I still had no clue what her recipe was – but that didn't matter because mine was equally delicious. My pumpkin bread became an autumn staple, but when my family went gluten-free, I was afraid I would never eat it again. Thank goodness for blogger Nicole Hunn .who saved the day by introducing me to an all-purpose gluten-free flour called Better Batter. I also substitute Splenda for sugar, so I enjoy my moist, decadent pumpkin bread with almost no guilt. (Hey, pumpkin is healthy, right?) And the best part: it's not a secret. The Recipe Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread Bread Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour (such as Better Batter – bean flours do not work in this recipe) 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your flour includes xanthan gum already –­ Better Batter does) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned) 1 cup Splenda 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk (low-fat or whole) 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients*: 1/3 cup Splenda 1/3 tsp. corn starch 2 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract *The filling may be doubled for a super-gooey (and equally delicious) bread. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, Splenda, eggs, and milk. Stir dry ingredients and butter into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. For the filling, mix Splenda and corn starch in a blender. (This is the confectioner's sugar substitute.) With a hand mixer, combine the confectioner's sugar substitute, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the cream cheese mixture into the batter, allowing some streaks to remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for five minutes in the pan, then remove and continue cooling on a rack. Slice, serve, and enjoy!