Using a bread knife, thinly slice and discard the outer edges of the loaf of pumpkin bread (the crust of the bread can be hard to crumble. Using your fingers or a fork, crumble the bread into very small pieces in a medium mixing bowl. Add cream cheese and, using a fork or your fingers, mash the bread crumbs and cream cheese into a creamy, uniform consistency.

Roll the mixture into even balls 2 inches in diameter. (This should produce about 30 truffles, but there is no need to be precise here - make them larger or smaller if you prefer.) Place the balls on a wax-paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but as long as overnight.

Melt approximately 8 oz of the dark chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave (stopping every 10 seconds to stir the chocolate so that it does not overheat). Add the remaining 2 oz of chocolate and stir well to combine. The chopped chocolate should melt and it should all become shiny and smooth. (If it doesn't all melt, heat it just a bit longer until it does.)

Dip the chilled pumpkin bread balls in the melted chocolate and gently transfer the balls between two forks to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Return the truffles to the wax paper. Sprinkle with toppings, if using.

Allow the truffles to cool at room temperature until firm. Refrigerate up to 3 days.