If you are in the mood for a tasty, quick bread, this one will hit the spot. The cream cheese and coconut keep the bread nice and moist and add a lot of flavor. I enjoy serving it for breakfast with a little butter on top and a delicious hot cup of coffee. It is also just sweet enough to serve as a dessert with fresh berries. 

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup unsalted butter, softened + more to grease the pan

¾ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed

½ pecans, toasted

8 oz. cream cheese

½ cup coconut 

 

Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. 

 

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In a large bowl, using a mixer on high speed, combine the butter and ½ cup of brown sugar. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add 2 eggs and the vanilla. Beat in half of the dry ingredients and half of the banana. Then beat in the other half of both. Stir in the pecans. If needed, remove the mixture into another large bowl to accommodate the next mixing process. 

 

Using the mixer again, beat together the cream cheese and ¼ cup brown sugar. Once combined, add the 1 remaining egg and the coconut. 

 

Pour half of the banana batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Pour half of the cream cheese batter on top of the banana batter and marble the two of them together. Repeat another layer of the banana batter and another layer of the cream cheese batter, but do not marble these last two layers. Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and continue cooling on the rack. 

 

Just Salt It, and enjoy!