Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

By LPGerrald

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 4 med)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• topping: 1/2 cup coarse chopped pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

Step 1

Beat butter and cream cheese till creamy. Gradually add sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat till smooth. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to butter mixture until blended. Stir in bananas, nuts and vanilla. Spoon into 2 greased and floured 8x4" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, shielding with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Test for doneness with pick. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove and cool on rack 30 minutes before slicing.

optional: mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle over bread before baking. Or just top with 1 cup coarsly chopped pecans.