Happy Heritage Day SA! What’s for dessert? Try this lovely cream cheese-filled banana bread recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3⁄4 cup self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1⁄4 milk
  • 75 grams butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed overripe bananas
  • 250 grams cream cheese
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 3 tsp lemon juice

    METHOD

    1. PREHEAT oven to 160oC. Grease a 10cm x 19.5cm ,1cm x 23cm loaf tin and line base and sides with baking paper, extending the paper 5cm over the sides.
    2. SIFT flours, cinnamon and baking soda together in a bowl. Combine 3⁄4 cup of the sugar, the eggs, milk , vanilla and banana in a bowl and mix until combined. Add banana mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon half the mixture into the loaf tin.
    3. BEAT cream cheese, zest , juice and remaining sugar in a bowl until combined.
    4. SPOON cream cheese mixture over banana bread mixture in the pan, leaving a 1cm border. Spoon the remaining banana bread mixture into the pan.
    5. BAKE for 1 hour 25 minutes or until the bread comes away from the pan and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
    6. Cover with foil during baking to prevent over-browning.

  • Tip: For a delicious picnic treat,wrap your banana bread completely in plastic wrap. Be sure to keep it on the top of your picnic basket to avoid squashing. Banana bread is best eaten the day it’s made, but feel free to store extras in the fridge .

    HANDS-ON TIME 35 min| TOTAL TIME 2 hours 5 minutes | SERVES 6-8