Cinnamon Banana Bread
This super moist cinnamon banana bread has an irresistible crunchy cinnamon sugar top that makes for the best banana bread ever! The addition of cream cheese in this recipe sets this loaf apart from others as it has a different layer of flavor and is so moist and fluffy. Only about 15 minutes to prep for this homemade, bakery-style bread that will make the whole house smell amazing too!
Servings: 10 slices
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 g) softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cups packed brown sugar (134 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1½ cups mashed banana (360 grams) about 3- 3½ bananas
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9.5x5 inch (approximately) loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese and sugars until smooth and creamy.
- Add the mashed banana, eggs and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined, do not over stir here!
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and spread so its in an even layer. Stir the cinnamon and sugar topping mixture together and sprinkle over top. You can very gently press this down to help it get moist and hold on as it bakes.
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf. If the top becomes brown but the center is not baked through, loosely tent foil over top to prevent it from burning.
- Cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Store this cinnamon sugar banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2-3 days or you can refrigerate it for about 4-5 days. If you refrigerate it, the crunchiness of the sugary top tends to last a bit longer. You can also freeze this bread. Allow it to cool COMPLETELY and then store it wrapped tightly in foil or in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
If your banana bread top becomes overly brown and the center isn't done, tent foil over top.
Don't over-stir when adding the flour. Over stirring banana bread batter can cause the baked bread to become rubbery or gummy it's sometimes called which is caused by over development of the gluten. Just stir until the dry ingredients are combined and no streaks are visible.
When measuring flour, if you don't have a scale, stir the flour to aerate it a bit before spooning and leveling.
Nutrition
Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 507IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg