Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread

This easy banana bread recipe has a layer of cream cheese filling baked right in. It’s like cheesecake for breakfast!

Banana bread is consistently one of the most searched-for recipes on the internet, and for good reason. It’s a resourceful way for frugal cooks to make use of forgotten bananas, it’s healthier than most sweet breads, and it’s pretty darn hard to mess up. And obviously banana bread is delicious! Everyone puts their own spin on the classic quick bread, but at this point even the most tried-and-true banana bread recipes could use an upgrade–and this cream-cheese-filled banana bread is just that.

What do you like to put on your banana bread? A slice of warm banana bread is pretty perfect on its own, but a little butter, cinnamon n’ sugar, or peanut butter makes it that much better. So I don’t know why I didn’t ever think to put cream cheese on banana bread! This recipe for cream-cheese-filled banana bread bakes the cream cheese right in — and the result is divine.

Our recipe starts with a basic banana bread batter, with a couple of innovations: we swapped in coconut oil for the deep aroma and health benefits, and added a touch of sour cream (or greek yogurt, if you prefer) for a tiny bit of rich, cheesecakey tang. If you’re as big of a cream cheese frosting freak as I am, you won’t be able to resist the cream cheese filling that’s sandwiched in between two moist layers of batter. It’s pretty adorable the way that our cream cheese layer baked up into a little smile shape–and there will be smiles all around when you taste your new favorite banana bread.

Cream-Cheese-Filled Banana Bread


Makes one 9×5-inch loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 90 minutes

Banana Bread Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 4 oz softened brick-style cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan. Set aside.
  2. To make the banana bread batter: in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
  3. In another large bowl, mash the bananas.
  4. Add the egg to the bananas and stir to incorporate.
  5. Add the brown and granulated sugars, coconut oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract to the banana mixture. Whisk to combine.
  6. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture with a hand mixer, spatula, or spoon
    until just combined. Do not overmix. Set aside
  7. To make the cream cheese filling​: in a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese, egg, granulated sugar, and flour, and use a hand mixer to combine.
  8. Fill the the prepared loaf pan with about 2/3 of the banana bread batter. Smooth the top lightly with a spatula, pushing it into the corners and sides as necessary. Set aside.
  9. Gently add the cream cheese filling to the pan in an even layer, leaving a border of about 1/8-inch of the banana batter showing around the filling.
  10. Top with the remaining banana bread batter, smoothing the top very lightly with a spatula so as not to disturb the cream cheese layer. Make sure to spread the batter so it reaches all corners of the pan.
  11. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F/175°C. Decrease the oven temperature to 325°F/163°C and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top is domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter).

Chef’s Tips

  • If you don’t have coconut oil or aren’t a fan of the flavor (although no strong coconut flavor will be detectable in the finished recipe), you can sub in canola or vegetable oil.
  • Use greek yogurt as a lighter substitute for the sour cream.

How do you jack up your banana bread? We’ve tried nuts, spices, cinnamon crumble, chocolate chunks, even bourbon… and now cream cheese!

Recipe adapted from www.averiecooks.com.