Cream Cheese Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (Printable)

Moist banana bread with creamy cheese filling and sweet cinnamon swirl layers

# What You'll Need:

→ 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

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving 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. Do not overmix.
05 - Beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
06 - In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
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 surface, and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
09 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs acceptable.
10 - Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using parchment overhang and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Chef’s Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like a cinnamon roll and banana bread had the best possible child.
  • The cream cheese layer stays soft and tangy, cutting through the sweetness perfectly.
  • You can make it with bananas that are way too ripe to eat but too good to waste.
  • It slices beautifully and looks impressive without any extra effort.
02 -
  • If your cream cheese isn't soft enough, it will form lumps no amount of mixing can fix, leave it out for at least 30 minutes.
  • Don't skip lining the pan with parchment, without it the cream cheese layer can stick and tear when you try to remove the loaf.
  • Overmixing the banana batter makes the bread dense and chewy instead of tender, fold just until the flour disappears.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you can, too much makes the bread dry and too little makes it gummy, 190 grams is the sweet spot.
  • For an even more dramatic swirl, reserve a few spoonfuls of banana batter and marble it on top of the cream cheese layer with a knife.
  • If you want a deeper cinnamon flavor, add an extra half teaspoon to the banana batter itself.
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