This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure form more information.

A moist banana bread recipe with cinnamon swirl in every bite. This cinnamon roll banana bread with cream cheese frosting is the perfect treat anytime!

cinnamon roll banana bread with sweet cream cheese frosting on cutting board.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

If you had to choose between a soft, sweet cinnamon roll and a slice of homemade banana bread, which would you choose? Probably a hard choice, but with this amazingly delicious cinnamon roll banana bread recipe, you can have the best of both worlds!

Honestly, this one’s a keeper. I absolutely love everything about this quick bread!

Why you’ll love this banana cinnamon bread

  • The bread is soft with a moist crumb.
  • Plenty of cinnamon flavor without being too sweet
  • Two favorite breads rolled into one sweet treat
  • The cream cheese frosting is the chef’s kiss!

Ingredients

bananas, flour, sugar, oil, cream, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, cream cheese, butter, salt, baking soda and powder.

Here’s an overview of what you need. Full amounts are listed in the printable recipe card below.

  • Ripe bananas — mashed. Make sure they have plenty of brown spots!
  • All purpose flour
  • White sugar and brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Baking powder and baking soda
  • Vanilla extract
  • Oil — keeps the bread nice and soft
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Heavy cream — for the bread and frosting
  • Cream cheese — for the frosting
  • Powdered sugar — for frosting
  • Butter

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Banana Bread

I suggest mixing the cinnamon/sugar mixture first and setting it aside for later. Then, whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the bananas, cream, oil and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the granulated sugar.

Add half the flour, plus the baking soda, powder and salt. Stir in remaining flour, pour half of the batter into a greased loaf pan.

Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the batter, then top with half of the remaining batter. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon/sugar on top of the batter, then add remaining batter, and gently swirl the batter and cinnamon together with a knife.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then top with frosting.

Tips for Making Cinnamon Banana Bread

Be sure not to over mix the ingredients, or the bread will be very dense. I find adding the flour gradually, helps prevent over mixing.

Don’t swirl the batter and cinnamon too much. You don’t want the knife to touch the bottom of the pan.

Cover the bread with foil about halfway through baking so it doesn’t get too brown.

cinnamon roll banana bread sliced on cutting board.

Storing Frosted Banana Bread

Store the bread in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week. You can freeze the unfrosted bread for up to 3 months, and add the icing when thawed.

More Banana Bread Recipes

Save this recipe!
Enter your email and get this recipe sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes by email from us every week! You can unsubscribe at any time.
No ratings yet

Cinnamon Roll Banana Bread

By: Dee
A moist banana bread recipe with cinnamon swirl in every bite and sweet cream cheese frosting on top
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Video

Ingredients  

For the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

  • â…“ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the Banana Bread

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas about 3 medium bananas
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • â…“ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1¾ cup all purpose flour divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream

Instructions 

For the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

  • In a small mixing bowl, add granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon, and mix until fully combined. Set aside for later

For the Banana Bread

  • Preheat oven to 350℉, and grease a 10×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter
  • In a large bowl, add the eggs, and beat well with a whisk
  • Add the mashed bananas, heavy cream, vegetable oil and vanilla extract, and beat until fully combined
  • Mix in the granulated sugar
  • Add in 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon, and whisk until barely combined
  • Whisk in the remaining flour until just combined. Do not over mix
  • Add half of the banana bread batter to the loaf pan, making sure the bottom is fully covered with batter. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top
  • Layer half of the remaining banana bread batter on top of the cinnamon sugar layer. It is okay if the batter does not fully cover the cinnamon sugar layer
  • Sprinkle on the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, and top with the remaining banana bread batter. Take a knife or skewer, insert a quarter way into the loaf pan, and very gently swirl the batter just a few times
  • Bake for 55-70 minutes, covering with foil after 25 minutes of baking. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean and has an internal temperature of 200℉
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and remove from pan and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter until fluffy and all lumps are gone
  • Beat in the powdered sugar until fully combined
  • Add in heavy whipping cream, and beat until frosting is smooth and fully combined
  • Using a spoon, offset spatula or knife, evenly spread cream cheese frosting onto fully cooled banana bread
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve

Notes

I highly recommend using vegetable oil and heavy cream instead of substitutes such as butter, milk or sour cream so that the cinnamon sugar mixture has more fat to bind to, resulting in a better swirl. 
Do not over mix the banana bread batter. Gently hand whisk until ingredients are just combined.
Do not stir layers of cinnamon sugar and banana bread batter together. The less you touch the batter, the better the swirl will be. 
The second and third layer of banana bread batter may not fully cover the loaf pan, and that is okay! As long as the first layer fully covers the bottom, the cinnamon sugar mixture will not sink. 
Make sure banana bread is completely cooled before frosting to prevent the cream cheese frosting from melting. 
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. 
Though the bread is good straight from the fridge, I recommend letting it come to room temperature before serving for a softer, fluffy crumb. 

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 224mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 38g, Vitamin A: 339IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Sign up for the free weekly newsletter to receive more easy recipes by email.

About Meatloaf and Melodrama!

I’m Dee, the blogger, cookbook author, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating