Cream Cheese Banana Bread

5 from 19 votes

Cream Cheese Banana Bread has a creamy cheesecake layer baked right in the middle of the loaf. It’s a delicious variation of a classic homemade banana bread made even more moist from the filling.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

Banana Bread

¾ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
1½ ripened bananas (about ½ cup mashed bananas)
1 large egg
2½ teaspoons whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese softened
1 large egg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

Prep a 9x5 inch loaf pan by spraying it with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and setting it aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a mixer to beat the sugar and butter together until fully combined.
¾ cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons salted butter
In the same bowl, beat in the bananas, egg, and milk until smooth, about 1 minute.
1½ ripened bananas, 1 large egg, 2½ teaspoons whole milk
On low speed, mix in the flour and baking soda. Do not overmix. Set batter aside for now.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and flour
4 ounces cream cheese, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Take the loaf pan and pour half of the bread batter into the bottom of the pan.
Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the bread batter. Carefully create a top layer with the remaining bread batter. Make sure all these layers are spread evenly but are not mixed into each other.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Let completely cool before cutting and serving.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: Do not store your banana bread in the refrigerator, as it will dry the bread out. Instead, leave it on the countertop at room temperature in an airtight bag or container for up to one week.
To Freeze: You can freeze this banana bread for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Tips:

The ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference for the most moist banana bread. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with dry bread; not enough and your bread will be too wet. The secret is in how you measure the flour.
Because the cream cheese layer is in the middle, it may seem like it should affect your ability to tell if your bread is baked or not. The cream cheese layer will firm up and take on the consistency of bread when baked, so you can use a tester to check the bread for doneness just like you normally would.
The cream cheese layer will cause the bread to flatten slightly when cooled.
For extra crunch and a boost of nutrition, you can add chopped nuts to make a banana nut bread batter. I like using pecans, walnuts, or almonds in this banana cream cheese bread because they have a sweet and toasty taste.

Nutrition