Cream Cheese Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (Printable Version)

Moist banana bread layered with cream cheese filling and cinnamon sugar swirl—soft, aromatic, and delicious.

# 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

# Directions:

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 and smooth surface. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
09 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
10 - Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes. Lift out using parchment overhang and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The cream cheese layer stays moist and melts into the banana bread, turning every slice into a little treasure hunt.
  • It's impressive enough to bring to someone's door but easy enough that even a Tuesday morning baking session feels manageable.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to turn this into a dense brick instead of pillowy bread—fold gently and stop while you can still see a few flour streaks.
  • If your cream cheese is cold and lumpy, it'll create pockets instead of a smooth layer, so take the five minutes to let it soften on the counter first.
03 -
  • Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into two parts—it saves guessing and ensures balanced layers.
  • A toothpick inserted into the banana bread portion (not the cream cheese layer) is your true test for doneness.
Return