Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Crisp Cinnamon Topping

In case you're not stuffing your face with enough sweet treats today, here's a delicious banana bread recipe! This is probably in my top 2 favorite banana breads. The cream cheese makes the bread SO moist and the topping makes this bread almost like a dessert. I also love that it makes two loaves, as most of my banana bread recipes only make one. I love baking quick breads that make two loaves so that I can stash one in the freezer! 

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Crisp Cinnamon Topping
for the topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (I've also used pecan chips if I have them)
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

for the bread
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 medium size)
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional - I've made both with and without)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To prepare topping, stir together brown sugar, pecans, flour, melted butter, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

To prepare bread, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans.

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar. Beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow yolk disappears after each addition.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add to butter mixture in thirds, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over batter and pat into batter to adhere.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool at least 30 minutes on wire racks before cutting with a serrated knife.

source: recipe from The Southern Living Community Cookbook: Celebrating Food and Fellowship in the American South

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Pound cake is one of those desserts that's often overlooked, but I don't think it should be. It's a cinch to throw together and the ingredients are basic, but when a pound cake is done right, it's absolutely delicious. This is my go-to pound cake recipe. It turns out every time, and we absolutely love it. It's great on its own but this time of year we also like to top it with fresh strawberries.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5-7 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating only until yellow yolk disappears after each addition. Quickly beat in vanilla.

Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add to butter mixture in thirds, beating at low speed only until blended after each addition. Pour batter into pan. Gently tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles.

Fill a 2-cup ovenproof measuring cup or small baking pan with water, and place it in the oven on the rack below the tube pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

source: recipe from The Southern Living Community Cookbook

Peach Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

Caleb's parents came to visit us last month to spend time with Madeleine. Right before they left, they bought a bunch of fresh peaches and left some of them with us. As the peaches were ripening on our counter, I brainstormed what I should bake with them. I hadn't baked anything since Madeleine was born, and I was missing it. I finally settled on a new coffee cake recipe with peaches and streusel as the topping. The cake was moist, the peaches were perfectly ripe, and the streusel topping was the perfect finish. 

Peach Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

for the topping:

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

for the cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups sliced fresh firm, ripe peaches (about 3 large peaches)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. (A shiny or light-colored pan will give the best results. If you have a dark pan, wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil to get a similar result.) 

To prepare streusel topping, beat butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar and brown sugar, beating well. Add flour and cinnamon; beat just until blended. Chill.

To prepare cake, beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating only until the yellow yolk disappears after each addition.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; add to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with half of milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared tin. Top with sliced peaches. Drop 1-inch pieces of streusel topping over fruit. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until center of cake is set (a wooden pick inserted in center will be covered in moist crumbs, but not wet batter). Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 1/2 hours. Makes 8 servings.

source: recipe slightly adapted from Southern Living Community Cookbook