Hello friends!
I had a ton of ripe bananas needing to be used and instantly new that I wanted to make banana bread. I have a banana oat bread recipe that I typically use when making a sweet bread with bananas, but after coming across THIS recipe, I decided to give it a try. I followed Sally’s bread batter recipe pretty much spot on, but decided to add a cream cheese filling and a crumb topping. I also made a cream cheese glaze that I drizzled on a few of the pieces.
Typical banana bread recipes call for 2 or 3 mashed bananas, but this one has 4! The amount of bananas used as well as the brown sugar, make this bread super moist and full of banana flavor. The cream cheese filling and thick crumb topping really send this bread over the top and make it stand out from your typical banana bread.
Best-Ever Banana Bread with a Cream Cheese Swirl and Crumb Topping
- 1/2 C. butter, softened
- 3/4 C. brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 C. plain greek yogurt
- 4 large VERY ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 C. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
For the crumb:
- 1/2 C. butter, melted
- 1/2 C. brown sugar
- 1 C. dry oats
- 1 C. flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 6 oz. cream cheese
- 2 Tbs. sugar
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower position (right under the middle) and preheat oven to 350
- For the crumb, combine all ingredients and stir with a fork until completely mixed. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until mixed well and whipped.
- Add the eggs, followed by the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla. Set bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet by stirring with a large spoon. Stir until completely mixed.
- Pour half of the bread batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan.
- Combine cream cheese filling ingredients in a small bowl and spoon on top of bread batter.
- Pour remaining batter on top of the cream cheese and then top that with the crumb.
- Bake in oven for 60-65 minutes (or until knife comes out mostly clean). At the thirty minute turn the oven down to 325 (so that the bottom and sides don’t get too brown)
* For an optional cream cheese drizzle, combine 2 oz. soft cream cheese, 1 C. powdered sugar and 1-2 Tbs. milk. Drizzle over top if desired*
Have a great day!
