Welcome to a truly extraordinary baking experience that elevates a classic comfort food to gourmet heights: Cream Cheese Banana Bread. This isn’t just any banana bread; it’s a luscious, moist masterpiece featuring a decadent ribbon of creamy cheesecake swirled through its center. Imagine the comforting aroma of freshly baked banana bread, now enhanced with the irresistible tang and richness of a cheesecake filling. It’s a combination so delightful, it’s bound to become a new cherished recipe in your family cookbook.
Indulge in the Ultimate Cheesecake Stuffed Banana Bread
What could possibly improve upon the already beloved banana bread? The answer lies in the luxurious addition of a rich cream cheese swirl. Our Cream Cheese Banana Bread transforms a simple loaf into a sophisticated dessert, merging the sweet, comforting flavors of ripe bananas with the smooth, tangy elegance of cheesecake. This homemade recipe is incredibly easy to follow, yet yields a spectacular result that looks and tastes like it came from a professional bakery. Each slice promises a perfect balance of moist banana bread and creamy cheesecake, making it an absolutely scrumptious treat that takes your baking to an entirely new level!
While I often enjoy the delightful crunch of walnuts in my traditional banana bread, I chose to omit them from this particular recipe to let the exquisite cream cheese flavor shine. However, feel free to personalize your loaf by adding them if you wish! No matter your preference, this recipe is guaranteed to be a delicious hit and will undoubtedly earn its place as a new family favorite, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet anytime treat.
Key Ingredients for the Perfect Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Crafting this delightful banana bread with a cheesecake swirl starts with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to gather to ensure your loaf turns out perfectly:
For the Banana Bread Batter:
- Very Ripe Bananas: The star of the show! Overripe bananas (with lots of brown spots) are crucial for their natural sweetness and moist texture. They also mash easily, incorporating smoothly into the batter.
- Salted Butter: Melted butter adds richness and moisture to the bread, contributing to its tender crumb. Salted butter helps balance the sweetness.
- Light Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar not only provides sweetness but also adds a deeper, more caramel-like flavor and additional moisture compared to white sugar.
- Egg: A single large egg acts as a binder, helping to hold the banana bread together and add structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the other flavors, adding a warm, aromatic note to the banana bread.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent reacts with the acidic bananas to create lift and a fluffy texture in the bread.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural foundation of the bread. Measure it correctly by spooning into a cup and leveling off, rather than scooping directly, to avoid a dense loaf.
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Cream Cheese: It’s essential to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese at room temperature. This ensures a smooth, lump-free filling that blends beautifully. Learn how to soften cream cheese quickly here.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cream cheese, creating that classic cheesecake flavor.
- Egg: Helps to set the cream cheese filling, giving it a firmer, more cheesecake-like consistency after baking.
- Vanilla Extract: Just a touch enhances the creamy, sweet flavors of the cheesecake layer.
- All-Purpose Flour: A small amount of flour helps stabilize the cream cheese mixture, preventing it from sinking into the banana bread batter too much during baking.
How to Master Cream Cheese Banana Bread: Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these detailed instructions to bake your way to a perfect loaf of Cream Cheese Banana Bread with a delightful cheesecake ribbon.
Preparation:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures the oven is at the correct temperature when your batter is ready to go in, promoting even baking. Lightly spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with a nonstick baking spray. Don’t skip this step, as it’s crucial for easy removal of your finished bread.
For the Banana Bread Batter:
In a large mixing bowl, combine your mashed ripe bananas, melted butter, light brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Stir these ingredients together until they are well combined. The mixture should be fairly smooth with no large lumps of banana. Next, gently stir in the all-purpose flour. It’s important to mix just until the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Overmixing the batter can lead to a tough, dense banana bread, so stop as soon as it comes together. Set this delicious batter aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer and a large bowl), beat the room temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar together until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Ensure there are no lumps of cream cheese for a truly luscious filling.
Next, add the egg and vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture. Continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined and smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure all ingredients are incorporated evenly.
Finally, gently mix in the three tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Stir just until the flour disappears into the cheesecake batter. Similar to the banana bread batter, avoid overmixing to maintain the light and creamy texture of the filling.
To Assemble & Bake:
To create the beautiful layers, spread half of the prepared banana bread batter evenly into the bottom of your nonstick-sprayed loaf pan. Use a spatula to ensure it covers the base from edge to edge.
Next, carefully and evenly spread the entire cream cheese mixture over the banana bread batter. Try to keep this layer as distinct as possible from the banana bread base.
Finally, carefully dollop and spread the remaining banana bread batter on top of the cream cheese mixture. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, as it will even out during baking. The goal is to cover the cream cheese layer to encase it within the banana bread.
Bake the loaf for approximately 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the bread (avoiding the cream cheese layer) comes out clean. The top should be golden brown, and the center should be set. If you notice the top browning too quickly before the inside is fully cooked, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
Once baked, allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. This resting period helps the loaf firm up and prevents it from breaking when removed. After this initial cooling, carefully invert the loaf onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing and serving. Cooling completely is crucial for the cheesecake layer to fully set, ensuring clean, beautiful slices.
Expert Tips for a Flawless Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Bananas are Key: Always use very ripe bananas for the best flavor and moisture. The browner, the better! If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can speed up the process by baking them unpeeled on a baking sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 15-30 minutes until their skins turn black.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter, eggs, and especially cream cheese are at room temperature. This allows them to combine smoothly and evenly, preventing lumps in your batter and filling.
- Don’t Overmix: When adding flour to both the banana bread batter and the cheesecake filling, mix just until combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can result in a tough, dry bread.
- Proper Pan Prep: Greasing and lightly flouring (or using nonstick spray) your loaf pan is essential for easy release. You can also line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the loaf out easily.
- Check for Doneness: Since there’s a cream cheese layer, a simple toothpick test can be tricky. Insert a toothpick into the banana bread portion, avoiding the center cream cheese swirl. It should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. The top should be golden brown and spring back when lightly touched.
- Cool Completely: Resist the urge to slice into the warm bread. The cheesecake layer needs ample time to set. Cooling completely in the pan and then on a wire rack ensures perfect slices and a well-structured loaf.
Delicious Variations & Serving Suggestions
While this Cream Cheese Banana Bread is fantastic as is, feel free to customize it to your liking:
- Add-ins: Fold in ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the banana bread batter for a delightful crunch. Chocolate chips (milk, dark, or white) are also a fantastic addition, especially if you love a chocolatey twist.
- Spices: Enhance the flavor profile with a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg in the banana bread batter.
- Glaze: For an extra touch of sweetness, drizzle a simple cream cheese glaze or a vanilla icing over the cooled loaf.
This bread is incredibly versatile. It makes an exquisite breakfast item alongside coffee, a satisfying snack in the afternoon, or a truly memorable dessert, especially when served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storage and Freezing Tips
- Countertop: Due to the cream cheese, this banana bread is best stored in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerator: Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days.
- Freezing: This bread freezes beautifully! Once completely cooled, wrap the entire loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can gently warm individual slices in the microwave for a minute or two for that fresh-baked feel.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread Recipe Details
Recipe Summary
Cream Cheese Banana Bread is an easy homemade banana bread recipe that has a ribbon of cheesecake going through the middle. This amazing treat is perfect for any occasion!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Author: Brandie Skibinski
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 2 large very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- ⅓ cup salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
For the cheesecake filling:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- For the banana bread: In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Gently stir in the flour. Mix just until incorporated. Set this aside.
- For the cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer), beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Finally, mix in the flour and stir just until combined.
- To assemble: Spread half of the banana bread batter into the bottom of your prepared pan.
- Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter. Spread the remaining banana bread batter on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes until the center of the bread is set and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean (avoiding the cream cheese layer). If the bread is browning too quickly, tent the pan with aluminum foil.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Video Tutorial
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Nutrition Information (Estimate per Serving)
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 440mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Craving More Delicious Recipes?
If you loved this Cream Cheese Banana Bread, you might also enjoy exploring these other delightful banana and cinnamon-infused recipes:
- Banana Cake with Vanilla Frosting
- Banana Bread Crumb Cake
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Banana Bread Cobbler
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Mini Banana Pudding Cheesecakes
- Bananas Foster Poke Cake
- Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Pumpkin Bread
- Best Banana Pudding
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Cinnamon Bread
- Dollywood Cinnamon Bread
Originally published: April 2017
Updated & republished: June 2019