Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

There's nothing better than a thick slice of fresh bread, still warm from the oven.  Pair it with a cup of hot chocolate or tea, and you have the makings of a delicious snack!

It's time again to reveal our posts for September's Secret Recipe Club.  This month, I was assigned to Wendy's blog, The Weekend Gourmet.  As I browsed through her collection of delicious looking recipes, I made a list of all the ones that looked good to me.  Then came the tough part--choosing one of those recipes to make and feature this month.  Since strawberries are one of my favorites fruits, I was drawn to her recipe for Strawberry Cream Cheese Quick Bread.

What a scrumptious loaf of bread!  I loved the added layer of strawberry cream cheese, that's really what put this loaf of bread over the top.  I chose not to make the Strawberry Whipped Butter as I prefer my bread without butter (this goes for all bread--I know, I'm strange!)  I'm sure the butter would make this bread delicious too.  I think this bread would be delicious with other berries as well--maybe I'll try blueberries next?

Strawberry Cream Cheese Quick Bread

Makes 1 loaf, about 12 servings

You will need:
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
6 ounces cream cheese
2 Tablespoons strawberry jam
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar

For the bread:
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped strawberries

1.  Make the cream cheese layer by mixing the cream cheese, strawberry jam, egg and sugar in a medium bowl.  Put the mixture in the fridge while you make the bread batter.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, eggs, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla.

3.  Add milk, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the wet mixture and mix well.

4.  Carefully fold in the chopped strawberries.

5.  Pour half the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.

6.  Pour the cream cheese mixture down the center. (My mixture ended up quite runny and when I did this step, it looked like a mess. It still turned out great!)

7.  Top with remaining batter and smooth if necessary. 

8.  Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

9.  Remove bread from oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.  Be patient--the bread will crumble apart if you cut into it too soon!

Source: The Weekend Gourmet