Spice Bread with Maple Butter

I made this this afternoon to have with supper tonight. We are having kind of like a scrambled egg skillet, with eggs, sausage, and hash browns all mixed together. Emma really likes quick breads. So we made this one. It's from the Feb/March '09 issue of Taste of Home. I doubled the recipe, because I figured if I was using the oven for one loaf, I might as well use it for 2. But I have typed it for just one loaf, like it was written.

Spice Bread with Maple Butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out...nobody likes nuts here except me...)
Butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flours, baking powder, spices, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in walnuts. Transfer to a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes back clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack. Beat butter ingredients until blended; serve with bread.

So this was pretty yummy. It smelled fabulous. While it was in the oven, all 3 kids commented on how good "something" smelled. We ate it once it had cooled, and it was a bit dry, but I think we will warm up the slices we have left over and smear the maple butter on them and they will be delightful. A keeper!