Caramel Cream Cheese Bread

Rich, tender, and ribboned with cheesecake—finished with a glossy caramel glaze

This loaf walks the line between dessert and breakfast treat: a soft, buttery quick bread, a tangy cream-cheese swirl, and a shiny caramel glaze that soaks into every slice. It’s simple to make (no mixer required) and bakes in a standard loaf pan.

Ingredients (9×5-inch / 23×13 cm loaf)

Cream Cheese Ribbon

• 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk (save the white for the batter if you like)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch fine salt

Bread Batter

• 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 2 large eggs (or 1 egg + the leftover white), room temp
• ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temp (or ½ cup milk + 1½ tsp lemon juice; rest 5 min)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Quick Caramel Glaze (stovetop, failsafe)

• 4 tbsp (55 g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream (plus more as needed)
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Shortcut: Warm ½ cup (120 ml) high-quality jarred caramel with 1–2 tbsp cream and a pinch of salt to glaze.

Equipment

• 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan
• Parchment paper
• 2 medium bowls + whisk and spatula
• Small saucepan for glaze
• Toothpick or skewer

Step-by-Step Method

1) Prep the pan & oven

• Preheat to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease loaf pan and line with a long strip of parchment so it overhangs the long sides (easy lift-out).

2) Make the cream cheese ribbon

• Whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, yolk, vanilla, and salt; whisk until creamy with no lumps. Set aside.

3) Dry ingredients

• In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4) Wet ingredients

• In another bowl, whisk sugars, melted cooled butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until glossy.
  Tip: If the butter is hot, it can curdle the mixture—cool to lukewarm first.

5) Make the batter

• Add dry ingredients to wet. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain (a few small lumps are fine). Overmixing = tough bread.

6) Layer & swirl

• Spoon half the batter into the pan and level.
• Dollop all the cream cheese mixture over it; spread gently to edges.
• Spoon remaining batter on top in 4–5 mounds; spread to cover.
• Swirl a few “S” shapes with a butter knife—2–3 passes only, so you keep defined ribbons.

7) Bake

• Bake 55–65 minutes, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted near the center (through batter, not the cream cheese) comes out with a few moist crumbs.
• If the top browns too fast at 45 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
• Optional doneness check: internal temp ~200°F (93°C).

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