As I started to dive deeper into the site, I realized we didn’t have a cream cheese version and I couldn’t sleep until we had one up. Why? Because cream cheese and banana bread are basically best friends, don’t you know? The creamy texture of the cream cheese mixture complements the banana bread so well and adds a depth of flavor that will make you swoon. Once I started testing different ways to incorporate that cream cheese flavor, I knew I didn’t want just a layer of cream cheese—I wanted SWIRLS of it. My vision came to life! Once this bread was baked it lasted a mere five minutes because my family inhaled it.

How to Get the Best Cream Cheese Flavor

When I first tested this recipe, I used four ounces of cream cheese. However, my husband (and official taste tester at La Casa de Cash) said it lacked flavor, and I wasn’t a fan of how fluffy it was. Since I wanted a richer taste and a creamier texture, I bumped the cream cheese up to a full eight ounces. Go big, or go home! After my husband tasted that batch, his eyes lit up and I instantly knew he approved.

How to Achieve the Perfect Swirl

I think that the beauty of the swirl lies in its imperfections! No two swirls are alike, and it’s fun to see how it’ll turn out with each new batch. However, there are a few things you need to know to become a Champion of Swirls:

Pour half the banana bread batter into the greased loaf pan. Then add dollops of the cream cheese mixture to the batter, followed by the rest of the batter. Take a butter knife and run it through the batter in a swirly pattern. I like to run it in a ribbon pattern going horizontally and then going vertically.

Your swirl pattern may be different from mine, and that’s okay! The cream cheese batter is a little on the thicker side, so you’ll want to swirl the batter a few times.

How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread

Banana bread can keep at room temperature for up to four days. If you’re just going to store it overnight, you can keep it directly in the loaf pan and just throw a clean kitchen towel over it. (I grew up with this method, so it’s what I do.) If you’d like, you can put it in an airtight container. Can you freeze banana bread? ABSOLUTELY! You can store it in slices, half loaves, or whole loaves. To find out more, check out our step by step guide: How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread.

Try These Other Banana Bread Recipes!

Classic Banana Bread Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Chocolate Banana Bread Slow Cooker Banana Bread Pudding Banana Nut Muffins

Adapted from Elise’s recipe for Classic Banana Bread.

2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)

1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted or salted

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

3/4 cup 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 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

Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.