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Ultimate Cream Cheese Swirl Banana Bread: Moist and Easy Recipe

Close-up of a slice of cream cheese banana bread showing the rich, gooey cream cheese swirl inside.
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Make the best Cream Cheese Banana Bread with this simple recipe. You get a moist, flavorful loaf with a rich, tangy cream cheese swirl, perfect for using up overripe bananas.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar (for the swirl)
  • 1 large egg yolk (for the swirl)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the swirl)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the 1 cup of softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the salt, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  5. Fold in the mashed bananas until incorporated. Do not overmix.
  6. In a small bowl, prepare the cream cheese swirl mixture: beat the 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon until smooth.
  7. Pour half of the banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  8. Dollop the cream cheese mixture evenly over the batter.
  9. Pour the remaining banana bread batter over the cream cheese layer.
  10. Use a knife or skewer to gently swirl the layers together to create a marbled effect.
  11. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  12. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  • For the best swirl, make sure your cream cheese is fully softened to avoid lumps.
  • Using very ripe, spotty bananas provides the most moisture and sweetness for this rich banana treat.
  • If the top starts browning too quickly during baking, loosely tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the remaining cook time.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://sundayflavor.com/cream-cheese-banana-bread/