Caramel Cream Cheese Bread (Printable)

Enjoy a tender quick bread featuring luscious cream cheese and sweet caramel swirls. Ideal for breakfast or a delightful dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Bread Batter

01 - 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
02 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tablespoons baking powder
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 2 cups whole milk or 2% milk
07 - ⅔ cup vegetable oil

→ Cream Cheese Filling

08 - 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
09 - ¼ cup white granulated sugar
10 - 1 large egg

→ Topping

11 - ¼ cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 1-pound loaf pans thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil on medium speed until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Take care not to overmix—the batter should remain slightly lumpy.
05 - Divide half of the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans, spreading it to create an even base layer.
06 - In a separate bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth and creamy.
07 - Spoon the cream cheese mixture in a continuous line down the center of the batter in each pan, creating an even ribbon.
08 - Top with the remaining batter, spreading gently to completely cover the cream cheese filling.
09 - Drizzle a stripe of caramel sauce over the top of each loaf. Using a knife, make gentle figure-eight motions to swirl the caramel into the batter—avoid overswirling to maintain distinct ribbons.
10 - Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Some cream cheese residue on the toothpick is acceptable, but wet batter should not remain.
11 - Allow loaves to cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing for best results.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cream cheese layer stays gooey and decadent like cheesecake ribbon while the bread stays tender
  • It looks impressive but comes together with basic pantry staples in under fifteen minutes
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter creates tough bread so stop as soon as the flour disappears
  • The center will test slightly gooey due to the cream cheese filling but should not be raw batter
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend more smoothly and prevent lumps in the cream cheese filling
  • Chill the loaf pans in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking to get taller, more even domes
Go Back