Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

This cake-like strawberry cream cheese bread is stuffed with sweet strawberries and a pinch of cinnamon. Perfect for using up fresh or frozen strawberries.

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About Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

No matter what time of year it is, it’s always a good time for strawberries.

And as for me, my absolute favorite way to enjoy strawberries is in strawberry cream cheese bread.

Don’t let the name fool you. This may be a bread in all the classic ways – it’s baked in a pan, it becomes a loaf, it can be sliced – but this bread has the texture of an ultra dense and moist cake.

That is probably my favorite part of this bread, because while bread is totally acceptable to have for breakfast… a slice of this bread is like having dessert for breakfast.

Why does this bread use cream cheese?

This bread does include cream cheese, and it’s not used as a “flavor layer” or a glaze – it’s actually mixed and baked within the bread itself.

But if you’ve never had cream cheese bread before, you might be wondering:

Why? What does cream cheese bring to a baked good?

For starts, cream cheese is just another dairy ingredient, much like milk, butter, or yogurt. However, cream cheese tends to add an extra dose of creamy density to baked goods that many of the other dairy products lack. After all, cheesecake just wouldn’t be the same without the help of cream cheese.

So when it comes to baking, adding cream cheese is all about increasing texture and moisture. And for this bread recipe, the end result is a cake=like bread that amplifies the sweet taste of the fruit.

Can you substitute the cream cheese?

Given the above, I highly recommend not substituting the cream cheese in this recipe. But if your hands are tied and you simply can’t use cream cheese, here are two of my best suggestions for swapping it out:

• Substitute 4 oz cream cheese for 1/2 cup pureed cottage cheese.
• Substitute 4 oz cream cheese for 1/2 cup full-fat yogurt, strained in a cheesecloth overnight.

Can you use frozen strawberries?

Yes, you can use frozen strawberries in place of fresh strawberries.

For best results, make sure the frozen strawberries are thawed and drained first. I’d also recommend tossing them in some flour (just a light coating).

How long is this bread good for?

When stored in a sealed container (or covered in plastic wrap), this bread should remain good for up to six days. The flavor of the bread will intensify after two days.

Can you freeze this bread?

Yes, you totally can!

When properly stored, cream cheese bread will keep it’s “best” quality for about two or three months. After that point, the texture of the bread might change, but it will remain good for up to six months frozen.

Notes & tips for this strawberry cream cheese bread recipe

• When cutting the strawberries (whether using fresh or frozen), make sure they’re at least quartered, if not chopped. I know that having large bites of strawberry mixed in the bread probably sounds delicious, but keep in mind that the strawberries will change as they bake. A lot of the moisture from the strawberries will seep to the surrounding dough, which can leave you with large holes in your bread where the strawberries once were. You can even see some of that at work in the pictures here; I didn’t chop the strawberries small enough and the texture of the bread wasn’t as smooth as I’d like because of it.
• Make sure your bread pan is nice and deep OR make sure that you leave at least one-inch of headspace between the level of the batter and the top of the pan. Many of the fun, decorate bread pans out there aren’t as deep as they should be and could cause this bread to pour over the top while baking.

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How to make strawberry cream cheese bread

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set the bowl nearby.

Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip up the sugar, butter, and cream cheese until nice and creamy.

Step 3 – Set your mixer speed to low, then add in the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.

Step 4 – Keep your mixer mixing and slowly blend in dry ingredients with the wet. Mix until just combined.

Step 5 – Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the strawberries. Use a spatula to gently fold them into the batter.

Step 6 – Spray a 9×5 bread loaf pan with cooking spray, then pour in the batter.

Step 7 – Bake!

Step 8 – Slice and enjoy!

This recipe was originally published on June 26th, 2015. It was updated with new photos, revised recipe, and text on August 24th, 2018.