Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) so it’s fully hot by the time the batter is ready. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the sides. This makes it much easier to lift the bread out cleanly after baking and prevents sticking.

Peel the ripe bananas and place them in a mixing bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash them until completely smooth, with no large lumps. Smooth bananas create a more even texture and help keep the loaf moist.

In a separate bowl, add the softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and creamy, with no visible lumps. This step is key to achieving that rich, cheesecake-style texture throughout the bread.

In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, such as almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir well to evenly distribute everything, which helps the loaf rise evenly and prevents pockets of dry ingredients.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the mashed banana mixture using a spatula. Mix just until combined, stopping as soon as you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing at this stage can make the bread dense or rubbery, especially when protein powder is involved.

Pour about half of the banana batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the batter, then add the remaining banana batter on top. Use a knife or skewer to gently swirl the layers together, being careful not to overmix them.

Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake until the bread is set in the center and lightly golden on top. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan. This cooling time allows the cheesecake layer to fully set and makes slicing much easier, resulting in clean, neat slices with the best texture.