Banana Bread with Cream Cheese and Cherries


I know, it's another banana bread. It's hard for me to not make banana bread when I have a husband that constantly snacks and diets on bananas. There is usually a supply of bananas coming in here daily! I kid you not! So, at some point, there will always be a bunch that are overripe. I like bananas that still have a little green to them. I also thought I ate a lot of bananas. Ha! Nothing compared to my husband. My son kids him and says he will soon have a banana stem growing out the top of his head!

I found this recipe in an older Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that I bought from a thrift store. I LOVE thrift stores. They are so much fun to rummage through and you just never know what you will find. Anyhow, I've never made a banana bread before that uses cream cheese. I added cherries on top really just for the hell of it. The cherries really held up well and didn't sink like I thought they might. This banana bread is very, very flavorful. A bit drier than others I have made but still a good one. I also added 1 teaspoon of vanilla....

1 8 oz package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine (I used butter)
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts

Combine cream cheese, sugar and margarine (butter), mixing until well blended. Blend in banana and eggs. Add combined remaining ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Serve with additional cream cheese, if desired.

Comments

Mary said…
This bread is lovely!
Pamela said…
I've never heard of a banana bread with cream cheese in it either. Looks great!
Jennifer said…
Wow I love cream cheese, and I cant wait to make this bread!
Donna-FFW said…
A girl can never have too many shoes, or recipes for banana bread.
WoW! This ain't your ordinary banana bread. I love the addition of cherries and cream cheese; it's so decadent.
What a lovely addition to the classic :)
Manggy said…
Oh wow, I bet it has a cream cheese-like texture to it in a way. Sounds delicious! (I don't like my bananas to have any green on them, though :)
♥Rosie♥ said…
Please keep these recipes coming - I always have loads of ripe bananas for baking. This is lovely bread!
Monica H said…
I like my bananas with a little green to them as well. The cream chees ein this really does it for me- delish. A little sprinkling of chocolate chips and I'd be in heaven!
Reeni said…
This sounds delicious with cream cheese in it! I eat a lot of bananas too!
Kerstin said…
We always have bananas around too - my hubby buys three bunches at a time! Love the cream cheese in your banana bread, it looks so good!
Emily said…
Mmmm I like it. Banana bread and cream cheese go so well together.

I'm just like your husband! Bananas are my favorite fruit.
Katy ~ said…
I bet the addition of the cream cheese to this is delicious and goes so nicely with the bananas. Well done!
Barbara Bakes said…
My husband is the banana eater in our family too! This looks like a great version. I love that you added cherries!
Bunny said…
I like the idea of cherries in the banana bread, that's a new variation for me!
♥peachkins♥ said…
my hubby loves banana breads too! this is a great twist!!
Ingrid_3Bs said…
It's been a long time since I made banana bread. Adding cream cheese sounds like just the thing.

Btw, Like you I like my bananas just barely ripe.

Happy 4th!
~ingrid
Anonymous said…
I LOLed at: "he will soon have a banana stem growing out the top of his head"! Hahaha, that is such a hilarious graphic image.
But...LOVE this bread with the cream cheese in it...and cherries! wow, that's certainly not your average banana bread!
noble pig said…
Oh nice, I love trying new BB recipes. Thanks for this one.
La Bella Cooks said…
Oh wow, not only does it look gorgeous but I can just imagine it was delicious. I need ti give it a try with cherries.
Amanda said…
That looks fabulous debbie! I love cherries, one of my favorite fruits :)
Judy said…
My hubby eats a banana every morning, so I sometimes get caught with overripe ones too. I have some now and am trying to figure out what to do with them. I was thinking of Chunky Monkey muffins again because they were so darn good, but them I'll wind up eating them.
I'd never heard of cream cheese and banana bread - and I'm a little surprised to hear that cream cheese dries it out. Man, baking is a tricky science.

Looks good though! :)