You thought banana bread couldn’t get any better? Try this riff on our Original Banana Bread Recipe by adding cream cheese in big, beefy swirls.
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It’s no secret that we love banana bread at Simply Recipes. Our original banana bread has been baked all over the world, we have other versions with peanut butter and chocolate and even a vegan version.
As I started testing different ways to incorporate that cream cheese flavor, I knew I didn’t just want a layer of cream cheese — I wanted SWIRL of it. My vision came alive! Once this bread was baked, it only took five minutes because my family inhaled it.
This is how you get the best cream cheese flavor
When I first tested this recipe, I used four ounces of cream cheese. However, my husband (and official taste tester at La Casa de Cash) said it lacked flavor and I wasn’t a fan of how fluffy it was. Since I wanted a richer flavor and creamier texture, I increased the cream cheese to a full 8 ounces. Go Big or Go Home! After my husband tried this batch, his eyes lit up and I knew immediately that he agreed.
How to achieve the perfect swirl
I think the beauty of the vortex lies in its imperfections! No two strudels are the same, and it’s fun to see how it turns out with each new batch.
However, there are a few things you need to know to become a Champion of Swirls:
- Pour half of the banana bread batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Then add dollops of the cream cheese mixture to the batter, followed by the rest of the batter.
- Take a butter knife and run it through the dough in a swirling pattern. I like running it in a band pattern that goes horizontally and then vertically.
Your swirl pattern may differ from mine, and that’s okay! The cream cheese batter will be a little thicker, so you should toss the batter a few times.
Store and freeze banana bread
Banana bread can be kept at room temperature for up to four days. If you’re just keeping it overnight, you can store it right in the loaf pan and just throw a clean kitchen towel over it. (I grew up using this method, so this is what I do.) You can put it in an airtight container if you like.
Can you freeze banana bread? ABSOLUTELY! You can store it in slices, halves or whole loaves. To learn more, read our step-by-step guide: Storing and Freezing Banana Bread.
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Try these other banana bread recipes!
- Classic banana bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Slow cooker banana bread pudding
- Banana Nut Muffins
Banana bread with cream cheese
Due to the cream cheese mix, it took about 60 minutes to prepare. After about 50 minutes the edges started to brown, so I covered the bread with aluminum foil for the remaining 10 minutes.
Adapted from Elise’s recipe for Classic banana bread.
ingredients
For the banana bread:
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2 to 3 very ripe bananaspeeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups pureed)
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1/3 Cup melted butterunsalted or salted
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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prize Salt
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3/4 Cup sugar (1/2 cup if you like it less sweet, 1 cup if you like it sweeter)
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1 big eggbeaten
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
For the cream cheese filling:
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8th ounces cream cheeseat room temperature
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1 big egg
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1/4 Cup sugar
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2 tablespoon flour
method
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Preheat the oven:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 4×8-inch loaf pan.
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Prepare the banana bread dough:
In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
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Toss the cream cheese:
In another bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling.
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Toss the batters in the pan:
Pour half of the banana bread batter into the loaf pan. Spread half of the cream cheese filling over the dough, dollop by dollop. Cover with remaining dough. Cover blob by blob with the remaining cream cheese filling. Insert a butter knife about halfway into the batter, running vertically and horizontally through the batter to coat the cream cheese into the banana bread batter.
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Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean:
If the top gets too brown before the center is done, tent the top with foil.
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Refrigerate and store:
Cool the banana bread in the pan for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 331 | calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 45g | carbohydrates |
| 5g | protein |
