Fitness / April 4, 2024

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Go Bananas and (s)Cream Cheese! Photogenic Cream Cheese Banana Bread!

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Though originating several decades before, banana breads became popular surrounding the food shortages of the great depression. With overripe fruits more available to the masses than fresh ones and with the recent advent of baking powder making national households more capable to bake with fewer (and more sparing) ingredients, banana bread recipes began to circulate as a means of utilizing easily bruised and ripened fruits for more than just a fanciful garnish. What once was a dish designed to help fill stomachs without wastefulness now is a simplistic sweet treat served with jam and/or cream cheese for extra-indulgent eats!

Our 3 ingredient banana bread is a divine example of a modernized (and dairy-free!) recipe for something so simple it could be fashioned in food shortages. Cream cheese banana bread is a bit more complicated, but rewards you with a delicate and delicious dessert loaf accompanied by a rich and creamy glaze similar to a crème anglaise. If you can dedicate the time and effort, you can savor the flavor of the times we live in, where we came from, and how far we’ve come (and maybe take a delicious picture to put on Instagram!).

If you’re looking for something to pair our cream cheese banana bread, why not try strawberry chia jam for the sweet accompaniment of tarty berries and the healthy fiber chia seeds can bring to the table? Or, if you want a little more protein in your dessert, try our homemade walnut spread (or any other nut spread of your choosing, seriously go NUTS!). For a keto option that’s low carb, try our recipe for low-carb keto-friendly banana loaf!

Is Cream Cheese Banana Bread Healthy?

Here at FoodFaithFitness, we typically cultivate recipes which adhere to health-conscious diets and suggest alternatives and substitutions that help to turn your favorite recipes into keto, gluten-free, and paleo go-to’s; however, even we like to splurge a little~ Cream cheese banana bread is an indulgent dessert with lots of healthy fats from greek yogurt and cream cheese as well as the natural sweetness inherent to over-ripe bananas.

Substituting too much in this loaf will lose much of what brings it to life from the fluffy texture to that decadent dairy delight we top it with. That said, you can make this vegetarian dessert more health conscious by substituting our recommended milk and cream ingredients with non-dairies – especially soy, which is often described as being the closest alternative. If you want to go full-vegan, soy alternatives can branch outward into replacing the eggs as well! Though, if you want to add necessary fiber content to help retain the nutritious benefits of banana, a complementary half-cup of roughly chopped candied pecans can do the trick – just make sure to reduce your sugar content to compensate for the added sweetness (or don’t! you do you!).

**How Ripe Is Too Ripe?**

One of the focal ingredients to banana bread is bananas (and, in other astute observations, the sky is blue!) but the recipe for cream cheese banana bread calls specifically for overripe bananas; why? Overripe bananas make sweeter banana bread but, because of the broken down cell walls in each ripe banana, the dough fashioned with them forms easier the softer the ingredients get! As such, you’re going to want to ensure that your bananas are beyond yellow and spotting, but entering into the stage of ripeness that makes them seemingly unsellable at market – I assure you, you’ll love the natural sweet these ugly nanas bring!

That’s not to say to ignore your nose, however. Too-ripe bananas can make your banana bread taste a little funky and smell of fermentation (which is an elegant way to say that it has begun to rot). The ideal banana ripeness has more brown than yellow, even wholly brown with only the slightest tinge of yellow showing underneath, and should be easily squishable in a light grip. If your fingers leave dimples in the rind when you handle the fruit, you’ve got the perfect bananas for banana bread – just don’t let them sit too long. Once a banana becomes nearly black on the outside, the flavor is powerful and the fragrance is pungent – these can still be used in some cases but, by all means, hesitate no longer and get to baking!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups overripe bananas mashed (about 3 large bananas)
1 large egg room temperature
1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt room temperature
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil or canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with greased parchment paper.

Prepare

Whisk cream cheese, sugar, Greek yogurt, flour, and egg in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Mash

In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add in egg, yogurt, maple syrup, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Mix

Combine flour, baking soda, and spices in another bowl.

Blend

Fold dry ingredients into banana mixture.

Layer

Pour a portion of the batter into the pan, add cream cheese mix, repeat. Swirl pattern with a knife.

Bake

Bake for 55-70 minutes, until knife comes out clean. Cover with foil if browning too much.

Chill

Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out to cool completely.

DEVOUR!

FAQs & Tips

I’m Lactose Intolerant! How Can I Enjoy Cream Cheese Banana Bread?

You would think that cream cheese and greek yogurt would be a straight rejection for anyone working within a lactose intolerant dietary restriction but, surprisingly, there’s a plethora of options for you in this day and age of milk and dairy substitutes! Soy and soy milk substitutes (such as silken tofu, which doesn’t alter the flavor of a dish while helping provide that creamy dollop you need) help a lot in achieving the same creaminess provided by traditional cow’s milk, but there are a number of cheeses that can be used to substitute in place of cream cheese that are naturally lactose-free! Lactase-added cream cheese includes an essential enzyme that helps break down the lactose present in cream cheese and helps reduce potential side-effects for lactose-free dieters!

I’m Vegan! How Can I Enjoy Cream Cheese Banana Bread?

Similar to the instructions for substituting your lactose and cow’s milk ingredients for nut and soy substitutes, replacing eggs with faux egg can help bind your banana bread without infringing upon your vegan edge! The most important thing about substituting any ingredients in a recipe is understanding the conversions between the original measurement and the necessary adjustment for your alternative. For instance, silken tofu is a good one-to-one substitute for cream cheese, ounce per ounce; but that’s not always the case given what ingredients you choose!

How Do I Keep My Banana Bread From Looking Underdone?

Sounds like you went bananas for banana bread! Seriously, adding too many bananas to a banana bread will achieve a much stronger banana flavor, sure, but will also densen the loaf and give it an underdone appearing center which can look unappealing to eat. Ostensibly, there’s nothing wrong with a moist slice of extra-banana-y dessert loaf, but if your cream cheese banana bread is looking underdone, you might have gone overboard.

I Bought Too Many Bananas! What Am I Supposed To Do With These?!

To prevent your leftover ripened bananas from going bad while you polish off your cream cheese banana bread, try incorporating them into some of FoodFaithFitness’s catalog of banana-themed recipes like ice cream bowls and smoothies – both recipes come in handy if you freeze your bananas for later!

How Do I Store My Banana Bread For Longest Freshness?

We’ve come a long way from keeping a bread box on our kitchen counters, but if you’d like your cream cheese banana bread to last longer so you can have it after more dinners, you should keep it in a cool and dry place. Refrigerating the banana bread could dry it out and keep it out of direct sunlight so be cautious to put it in your fridge or in your windowsill (no matter how many people the aroma entices over).

Serving Suggestions

Cream cheese banana bread is a fantastic cream-filled treat on its own, but, should you want a touch of added sweetness, FoodFaithFitness has you covered! For a little tart to go with that banana goodness, nothing pairs better than strawberry jam with chia seeds! If banana-nut is your brand, try adding a dollop of homemade nut butter (my favorite is pecan!). If all else fails and you want to surprise your tastebuds, try something out of your comfort zone that works shockingly well: banana bread and blue cheese with honey!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Go Bananas and (s)Cream Cheese! Photogenic Cream Cheese Banana Bread!

Course Bread, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 179kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups overripe bananas mashed (about 3 large bananas)
1 large egg room temperature
1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt room temperature
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil or canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg room temperature

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with lightly greased parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1 egg until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas, aiming for a creamy texture with a few lumps. Whisk in the egg, 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and oil until combined. Mix in the brown sugar and vanilla extract.
In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Stir just until you can’t see any flour.
Pour a third of the banana bread batter into your prepared pan. Spoon alternating cream cheese filling and banana batter on top, creating a mosaic. Swirl a knife through in a figure-eight pattern.
Bake for 55 to 70 minutes. Tent with foil if the top burns. The bread is done when a knife comes out clean (internal temperature 200 °F).
Let the bread cool in the pan 15 mins, use the parchment “handles” to lift out the bread and let it cool completely.
Slice up and DEVOUR!