Banana Bread Cheesecake

Banana Bread Cheesecake

The best of both worlds. This cheesecake satisfies your desire for banana bread and cheesecake all in one piece. The base and top layers are banana flavored cheesecake. The center is moist banana bread. Dessert doesn’t get any better than this!

A Banana Bread recipe is a favorite for many home bakers. It is one that is quick to prepare.

Many of the ingredients you need are always on hand. Of course there can be an absence or abundance of well ripened bananas.

That is one item that can be missing in your kitchen if the kids love a good banana. Or an over ripened banana can be abundant if you keep them in the sun.

You can freeze those ripe bananas. But they don’t freeze well for long. They can get very slimy and messy. You will want to use them quickly.

If you have recently made banana bread or cake in any of the various combinations you can be looking for a different kind of recipe.

Enter the Banana Bread Cheesecake.

These are the INGREDIENTS you will need:

Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 8 tbs 1 stick, unsalted butter
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Banana Bread:

• 2 Medium 2-3 very ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cheesecake:

• 2 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Topping:

• 1/4 cup banana bread crumbs or to taste
• drizzle caramel sauce on top

These are the INSTRUCTIONS For preparation:

Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of your springform pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.

Cheesecake:

• Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add milk to cheese mixture. Set aside 5 minutes to soften. 
• Fold whipping cream into mixture. Split mixture into 2 parts. Pour filling into 10” pie pan and refrigerate while preparing the banana bread.

Banana Bread:

• In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
• Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
• Pour the batter into your a 10” round pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes (check at 50 minutes) at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Let cool completely.
• Scoop one pan of thickened cheesecake over grahams cracker crust. Add your banana bread layer. Scoop last cheesecake pan over banana bread.
• Refrigerate at least 3 hours until it doesn’t wiggle.

Topping:

• Add Banana Bread crumbs to top per taste. Drizzle with caramel. 

NOTES

The thin cheesecake layer sits atop a graham cracker crust. The crust can be purchased premade in your grocery store. Or you can easily make it at home in about 10 minutes. Either way a graham cracker crust is perfect to cradle your cheesecake layers.

Topping the creamy no bake cheesecake is a thick layer of your own banana bread.

The last layer is a thick cheesecake layer with a dusting of your banana bread crumbs.

Whether homemade or in a jar, the option of a caramel drizzle just takes this cheesecake over the top.

Don’t let a special occasion go by without enjoying your own Banana Bread Cheesecake!

For more about cheesecakes see 6 Tips to a Perfect Cheesecake Experience