Vegan Cream Cheese Banana Bread (GF)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight)
• 4.5 ounces firm tofu
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup oat flour
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 2/3 cup white rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Cream Cheese Filling ---

2. 2

   Drain the cashews and place them in a blender. Add the firm tofu, almond milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. The cream should have the consistency of cream cheese. Set aside while you prepare the banana bread batter.

3. 3

   --- Banana Bread ---

4. 4

   Preheat oven to 350 °F (175°C).

5. 5

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, rice flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

6. 6

   In another bowl, mix together the coconut sugar with the mashed bananas, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and milk. For the mashed bananas, I usually just put them in the blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer banana bread with small chunks of bananas, mash them using a fork.

7. 7

   Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using a wooden spoon until fully combined. The batter is quite thick; this is normal. At this point, you can taste the batter and adjust the spices to your liking.

8. 8

   Line two small 5.75x3-inch mini loaf pans with parchment paper. Divide half of the batter into the pans. Top about 1/2 inch of cream cheese and spread it evenly. Finally, top the cream cheese with the remaining banana bread batter and smooth the top using a spoon. Top with chocolate chips if you want.

9. 9

   Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Allow the banana loaves to cool completely before slicing.

10. 10

    Banana bread will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature or 5 days in the refrigerator. Be aware that banana bread is a bit firmer if stored in the refrigerator.