Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Swirls

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Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

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• 1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe banana (290 g)
• 1/3 cup (76g) melted butter (I use 50g olive oil and 26g butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup sugar (use 3/4 if omitting not adding cream cheese swirl)
• 1 large egg, beaten (use 2 eggs if using gluten free flour)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (205g) all-purpose flour (I use 50 % AP and 50 % whole wheat or for gluten free flour – I use 50 % ATK AP flour + 50% ATK GF whole grain flour)

Optional cream cheese filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons AP  flour (use 1 tablespoon for GF)

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1. Set an oven rack in the center position and pre-heat to 350-F. Grease a 4×8 inch loaf pan.  
2. Mash the bananas with a fork until completely smooth. 
3. Mix in oil and butter.
4. Mix in the baking soda and salt. 
5. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. 
6. Mix in the flour.
7. Make the cream cheese swirl: In another bowl, beat together all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling.
8. Swirl the batters in the pan: Pour half of the banana bread batter in the loaf pan. Top the batter with half of the cream cheese filling, one dollop at a time. Top with remaining batter. Top with the remaining cream cheese filling one dollop at a time. Insert a butter knife about halfway into the batter and run through the batter vertically and horizontally to swirl the cream cheese into the banana bread batter.
9. Bake: Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 205, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.