Ingredients:

For the banana bread:
2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted or salted
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if you want it sweeter)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the cream cheese filling:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
½ cup of Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

Make the banana bread batter: In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

Make the cheese swirl: In another bowl, beat together all the ingredients for the mascarpone and fig spread, cheese filling.

Swirl the batters in the pan: Pour half of the banana bread batter in the loaf pan. Top the batter with half of the mascarpone cheese filling … one dollop at a time. Top with remaining batter. Top with the remaining mascarpone and fig spread cheese filling one dollop at a time. Insert a butter knife about halfway into the batter and run through the batter vertically and horizontally to swirl the cream cheese into the banana bread batter.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean: If the top starts to brown too much before the middle is done, tent the top with foil.

Cool and store: Cool the banana bread for a few minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature.