BANANA NUT BREAD WITH CREAMCHEESE RECIPE

Ingredients For the banana bread: 2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed) 1/3 cup (76g) melted butter, unsalted or salted 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Pinch salt 3/4 cup (150g) sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if you want it sweeter) 1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups (205g) all-purpose flour For the cream cheese filling: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 large egg 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour Directions Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 4x8-inch loaf pan. Make the banana bread batter: In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour. Make the cream cheese swirl: In another bowl, beat together all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer. Swirl the batters in the pan: Pour half of the banana bread batter in the loaf pan. Top the batter with half of the cream cheese filling, one dollop at a time. Top with remaining batter. Top with the remaining cream cheese filling one dollop at a time. Insert a butter knife about halfway into the batter and run through the batter vertically and horizontally to swirl the cream cheese into the banana bread batter. Bake: Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too much before the middle is done, tent the top with foil. Cool and store: Cool the banana bread for a few minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Recipe Notes This recipe calls for an 8x4-inch loaf pan, which produces a tall loaf. The recipe will also work in an 8 1/2x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, producing a slightly shorter bread. Since the pan is a bit larger, the bake time is shorter: 47 to 57 minutes. A 9x5-inch pan will yield an especially short but still delicious bread; bake for 45 to 55 minutes.