Cream Cheese Swirl Banana Bread (Print version)

Soft, aromatic banana bread with a luscious cream cheese filling and sweet cinnamon swirl. A delightful treat for any time.

# What You Need:

→ Banana Bread

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - ¼ teaspoon salt

→ Cream Cheese Filling

10 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
11 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
12 - 1 large egg
13 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

14 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
15 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - Mash bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
04 - Gently fold dry ingredients into banana mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
06 - Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.
07 - Pour half of the banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.
08 - Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over batter. Top with remaining banana bread batter, smooth surface, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
09 - Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few moist crumbs are acceptable.
10 - Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes. Lift out using parchment overhang and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The cream cheese layer keeps every slice incredibly moist without making it heavy
  • That cinnamon sugar swirl creates pockets of crispy sweetness throughout
  • It actually tastes better the next day, if you can manage to save any
02 -
  • Overmixing the banana batter will make your bread dense and tough instead of tender
  • The cream cheese layer needs to be completely smooth before spreading or it will leave pockets in the finished loaf
  • Letting the bread cool completely is the hardest part but slicing while warm will give you messy edges
03 -
  • Use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese layer evenly without disturbing the batter underneath
  • If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking
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