Peaches & Cream Cheese Loaf

When it comes to baking, quick breads have to be one of the tastiest and easiest options out there. Equally appropriate for a breakfast treat or a dessert, there’s really no going wrong. And some of our very favorite loaves we’ve made have included *cream cheese* in the batter resulting in the most moist and rich texture. We hadn’t yet tried a Peach & Cream Cheese Loaf and felt that needed to be rectified.

Since the window that peaches are in season is often so short, we decided to go with canned peaches so it can be made all year! If you happen to have fresh peaches on hand we highly encourage you to use them. You’ll want to dice the peaches into small pieces so your bread will cook as evenly as possible (and you’ll get a juicy burst of peach in every bite!). This recipe makes one very large loaf and you want to make sure it cooks through the center.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz cream cheese (1 package), softened
• ½ cup butter, 1 stick
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup milk
• 15 oz can sliced peaches, drained and diced

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a standard bread loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add sugar, eggs, and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the dry ingredients and milk to the wet ingredients and fold in the peaches.
4. Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let loaf cool before slicing.