Caramel Cream Cheese Bread (Printable Version)

Tender bread swirled with cream cheese and caramel, delivering cheesecake-like flavor in every bite.

# 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 - 2/3 cup vegetable oil

→ Cream Cheese Filling

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

→ Topping

11 - 1/4 cup caramel sauce

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 1-pound loaf pans with butter or cooking spray.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl or using a stand mixer, beat eggs, milk, and vegetable oil until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Divide half of the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.
06 - In a separate bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
07 - Spoon the cream cheese mixture in a continuous line down the center of the batter in each loaf pan.
08 - Top the cream cheese filling with the remaining batter, spreading gently with a spatula to cover completely.
09 - Drizzle a stripe of caramel sauce lengthwise over the top of each loaf. Using a knife, gently swirl the caramel into the batter with light strokes, avoiding overworking.
10 - Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with minimal cream cheese residue acceptable.
11 - Allow loaves to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like cheesecake and coffee cake had a baby, but you only need one bowl and zero fancy technique.
  • The cream cheese center stays soft and tangy even days later, which means breakfast sorted for the whole week.
  • You can bake it in mini loaves or muffins and pretend its portion control, though no one actually stops at one.
02 -
  • Don't overfill the pans or the batter will spill over the sides and bake onto your oven floor, leave at least an inch of space at the top.
  • If your cream cheese isn't soft enough it will stay lumpy no matter how long you beat it, give it a full 30 minutes on the counter first.
  • The caramel swirl can burn if you use too much, a thin drizzle is plenty and looks just as pretty.
03 -
  • Use parchment paper strips in the pans with overhang on the sides so you can lift the loaves out cleanly without wrestling them.
  • Let the batter rest for five minutes before baking if you have time, it gives the baking powder a head start and makes a fluffier crumb.
  • Don't skip the cooling step, slicing too early turns the cream cheese filling into a melted mess that slides right out.
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