Name: Banana Cream Cheese Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 14
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour ((300g)); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp salt; 3 ripe bananas; ½ stick unsalted butter (at room temperature (¼ cup/2 oz/56g)); 4 oz cream cheese (at room temperature (113g)); ¾ cup sugar ((165g)); 2 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ¾ cup buttermilk ((180ml))

Cream cheese gives this Banana Cream Cheese Bread an even and tender texture. Very moist and deliciously satisfying. Great any time of the day.

Banana bread has got to be the most popular quick bread in the US. Often there will be two or three types of this ubiquitous bread at any brunch gathering. Perhaps it is a safe choice but it does seem like people genuinely love their banana bread and can’t get enough of it.

There is banana bread, and there is banana bread. Some come with nuts, chocolate chips, and even frosting. Been there, done that! So, today it is back to the basics. Not quite because that would be boring, right? Well, almost the basics except for the addition of cream cheese in the batter.

Adding cream cheese to bread or cake batter is not new. I have done it 3 times on this blog, here, here, and here. Love the texture of these breads. They are very moist, even, and tender. All good traits in a quick bread. I figured it should work for banana bread too.

At the creaming stage, I can already tell if my bread or cake is going to have an even texture. If the butter is light, fluffy, and combines smoothly with the eggs, I know I did it right. Sometimes, that does not happen either because of over beating or the ingredients are still a little cold. Somehow, adding a little cream cheese helps. Unlike butter, cream cheese is always soft. It is also much denser than butter and usually fluffs up nicely when beaten.

No nuts or chocolate chips this time. Just plain Banana Cream Cheese Bread with a smooth even texture. Lightly spiced with just a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and not too sweet. Perfect for breakfast!

I made two smaller loaves instead of one standard size loaf. Cut each loaf into half inch thick slices, the width of which fitted perfectly into this narrow tray. Made it really easy for me to transport the bread to church for the Vacation Bible School teachers and youth helpers.

The family ate the bread ends. 🙂

Banana Cream Cheese Bread

Cream cheese gives this Banana Cream Cheese Bread an even and tender texture. Very moist and deliciously satisfying. Great any time of the day.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Western

Servings:

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour (300g)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
3 ripe bananas
½ stick unsalted butter at room temperature (¼ cup/2 oz/56g)
4 oz cream cheese at room temperature (113g)
¾ cup sugar (165g)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk (180ml)

INSTRUCTIONS

Grease and flour two 7½" x 3¾" x 2¼" or one 9"x5" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350˚F (180°C).
Combine all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Peel and mash bananas with a fork in a bowl.
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Add flour mixture, mashed bananas, and buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
Bake for 50 minutes (if using two 7½" x 3¾" x 2¼" loaf pans) to 1 hour (if using one 9"x5" loaf pan), or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, place an aluminum foil tent over bread.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.