Description
The ultimate fusion of a moist banana muffin and a decadent caramel cheesecake. Each bite features a tender, spiced banana base topped with a rich, velvety cream cheese swirl marbled with sweet caramel sauce. These stay incredibly soft thanks to the mashed bananas and melted butter.
Ingredients
Banana Muffin Batter
- 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla
Caramel Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce (plus extra for drizzling)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Batter: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, powder, salt, cinnamon). In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugars, eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Fold dry into wet until just combined.
Swirl: Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until silky. Fold in 1/4 cup caramel sauce for a marbled look.
Assemble: Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Top each with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Use a toothpick to make 2–3 gentle loops to swirl.
Bake: Bake for 20–22 mins until a toothpick is clean. Cool for 5 mins, then move to a rack and drizzle with extra caramel sauce.
Notes
Banana Ripeness: The spottier the better! Overripe bananas provide superior natural sugars and a deeper aroma compared to firm yellow ones.
Swirling Technique: Be gentle! Over-swirling will cause the cream cheese to emulsify into the banana batter, losing the distinct cheesecake pockets.
Storage: Due to the high dairy content in the topping, these must be refrigerated in an airtight container. They will remain moist and fudgy for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Breakfast / Dessert
- Method: Baking / Marbling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 325
- Sugar: 24
- Sodium: 215
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 11
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0.4
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 85
Keywords: caramel cream cheese muffins, banana cheesecake muffins, swirl muffins, easy banana baking, salted caramel muffins