Cream Cheese Cinnamon Swirl Bread (Printable Version)

Moist banana bread with creamy filling and spiced cinnamon layers

# Ingredient List:

→ Banana Bread

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 3/4 cup brown sugar
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Cream Cheese Filling

10 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
11 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
12 - 1 large egg
13 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

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

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, allowing overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, mash bananas 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. Avoid overmixing.
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 banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.
08 - Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over batter. Top with remaining banana bread batter, smooth the surface, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
09 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
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 Advice:

01 -
  • The cream cheese layer stays moist and tender while the banana bread rises around it, creating a surprise in every slice.
  • It looks fancy enough to impress guests but requires zero special skills, just patience and a spatula.
  • Leftovers stay fresh for days, and slicing into yesterday's loaf tastes even better than fresh.
02 -
  • If the cream cheese filling breaks or looks curdled, you likely added cold eggs or didn't soften the cheese enough—next time, let both sit at room temperature for an hour.
  • Overbaking by even five minutes dries everything out, so start checking at 50 minutes even if the recipe says 60.
  • The cream cheese layer will sink slightly into the batter as it bakes, and that's exactly what should happen—it's not a mistake.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix smoothly and create a more even crumb than cold ingredients pulled from the fridge.
  • Don't rush the cooling step—cutting into warm banana bread causes it to crumble, but waiting makes it slice like a dream.
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