Banana Bread Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

I’m a Libra, so that means I tend to really take my time in making decisions, whether they be big or small.

Some people might call us indecisive, I prefer to see it as our just being much more judicious than other signs.

One of the relatively minor things that I tend to be indecisive about is what to have/bake for dessert. There are just so many great options to choose from. Sometimes, you do have to make up your mind adn choose one thing or another, but then there are cases where you get to have multiple things at once.

Today is one of those times/opportunities. If you happen to be like me and love both banana and pound cake, then this recipe is a relatively simple and incredibly delicious way to have both.

Why banana and pound cake together? Because why not, that’s why.

This isn’t the first time I’ve made an ‘ombre’/mash-up cake that has two different batters. The trick is making sure that the texture/flavors of the batters match and compliment one another. Banana cake’s flavor can fend for itself just fine, but it is known for being very moist and tender. That means that a typical pound cake crumb that tends to be denser will need some help in matching the moistness of banana cake, which is what the cream cheese is in the pound cake batter for.

Most cakes bake at 350 degrees, but this one goes in at 325, low(er) and slow(er) to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Once it is finished, it’s perfectly delicious all on its own, but the cinnamon sugar topping does give it an added cinnamon flavor and added texture to compliment the moistness of the cake.

Get into it.

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Banana Bread Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

recipe adapted from Bake from Scratch

Ingredients

For Banana Layer:

¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cubed and softened
¾ cup (165 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
1½ teaspoons (9 grams) vanilla bean paste
1⅔ cups (208 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
1¼ teaspoons (3.75 grams) kosher salt
½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking powder
¾ cup (171 grams) mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)

For Cream Cheese Layer

¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cubed and softened
1⅓ cups (267 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs (150 grams), room temperature
1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking powder

For Topping

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, or using a large bowl with a handheld mixer with the beater attachments, eat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add cream cheese, and beat until smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low; add sugar, beating just until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla bean paste. (Mixture may look slightly curdled at this point, but that’s fine).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Transfer batter to a large bowl.
For banana batter: Clean bowl of stand mixer and paddle attachment. Using the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30 seconds to 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add cream cheese, and beat until smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low; add sugars, beating just until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg, beating until well combined. Beat in vanilla bean paste. (Mixture may look slightly curdled at this point, but batter will come together.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with banana, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until some flour streaks remain.

Spoon banana batter into prepared pan in an even layer; gently spoon cream cheese batter onto banana batter in an even layer. Firmly tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batters and release as many air bubbles as possible.

Bake for 50 minutes; rotate pan, and bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, crack on surface of cake appears mostly dry, and an instant-read thermometer inserted near center registers 208°F (98°C), 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Carefully invert cake onto a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely.

For topping: Brush cooled cake with melted butter. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Cover cake with cinnamon sugar, pressing gently to help adhere. Allow to sit and firm up, for about 15 minutes.