Description
A quick take: soft, brown-sugar–rich quick bread with a cream-cheese center and caramel ribbons.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Prep: Grease two 1-lb loaf pans and set the oven to 350°F.
- Dry mix: In a bowl, whisk the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
- Wet mix: In a larger bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and oil together until smooth. Fold the dry mix into the wet just until moistened — stop when you still see a few streaks.
- Bold tip: Don’t overmix — a few lumps keep the crumb tender.
- First layer: Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pans and spread gently.
- Cream-cheese center: Beat the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar and the egg until silky. Dollop this mixture down the middle of each pan on top of the batter.
- Top layer: Pour the remaining batter over the cream-cheese layer, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top of each pan for rising.
- Bold tip: Do not overfill — give the loaf room to rise.
- Caramel swirl: Drizzle caramel across the top and swirl lightly with a butter knife to create pretty ribbons. Do not overswirl — gentle movements keep the filling from sinking.
- Bake: Place pans in the preheated oven. Bake about 50 minutes. Use the toothpick test: a skewer should come out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs or a trace of cream cheese is okay). If the tops color too fast, tent with foil for the last 10–15 minutes.
- Cool: Let loaves rest in the pans 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Timing & alternate pans
- Mini loaves: Pour into six mini pans; bake ~40 minutes.
- Single loaf: Cut the recipe in half for one standard loaf.
- Muffins: Fill mini muffin tins 2/3 full with batter, add a small spoonful of cream-cheese filling, more batter, and bake ~12 minutes.
- Storage & keeping tips
- Do not store at room temperature for long — cream cheese filling needs refrigeration.
- Refrigerate: Once cool, place slices in a single layer in an airtight container with a paper towel beneath and above the bread to absorb moisture. Keeps 4–5 days.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly and freeze up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Substitutions & notes
- Milk: Any milk works — skim, whole, or a dairy-free alternative like almond milk.
- Oil: Swap canola or melted butter for vegetable oil if you prefer.
- Caramel: Use salted caramel for a tasty contrast. Warm thick caramel slightly before drizzling so it disperses easily.
- tips & troubleshooting
- Toothpick test = your best friend. If batter clings, bake a few minutes longer.
- If top browns too fast, tent with foil.
- If the cream-cheese layer sinks, you likely over-swirl or overfilled the pan. Keep things gentle.
- For neater slices, chill the loaf briefly before cutting — it firms the filling.
- Variations to try
- Fold in chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) for crunch.
- Drizzle a simple glaze (powdered sugar + milk) instead of or in addition to caramel.
- Top with a thick caramel icing for maximum decadence.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1slice
- Calories: 296kcal
- Sugar: 27g
- Sodium: 171mg
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 35mg