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Cream Cheese Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Cream cheese cinnamon swirl banana bread with a creamy center and a cinnamon ribbon swirl through a golden banana loaf. Baked until deeply golden, each slice shows the layered swirl pattern and tender crumb.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana loaf batter
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 0.5 cup butter melted
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Cream cheese layer
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon swirl
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Grease the pan so the banana bread releases cleanly after baking.
Make the cream cheese filling
  1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth for the filling.
Mix the banana bread batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mashed bananas for the batter.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined with no dry flour streaks.
Layer and swirl
  1. Pour half the banana batter into the pan and spread evenly.
  2. Spread all the cream cheese filling evenly on top of the first batter layer.
  3. Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mixture over the cream cheese layer.
  4. Pour the remaining batter on top, then swirl once or twice with a knife for visible ribbons.
Bake
  1. Bake for 65–75 minutes until deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the outer banana bread comes out clean.

Notes

To keep the center creamy and the swirl distinct, avoid overmixing after the flour goes in and swirl lightly—no need to fully blend layers. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese (texture will be slightly softer but the swirl still works).