diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
index 76d844ce3..4fa50b5fc 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
@@ -1060,24 +1060,10 @@ ftl_nv_cache_wrap_cb(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg)
 static void
 ftl_nv_cache_wrap(void *ctx)
 {
-	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = ctx;
-	struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache = &dev->nv_cache;
-	struct ftl_nv_cache_header *hdr = nv_cache->dma_buf;
-	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
-	struct spdk_bdev *bdev;
+	struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache = ctx;
 	int rc;
 
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
-	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
-
-	hdr->uuid = dev->uuid;
-	hdr->size = spdk_bdev_get_num_blocks(bdev);
-	hdr->version = FTL_NV_CACHE_HEADER_VERSION;
-	hdr->phase = (uint8_t)nv_cache->phase;
-	hdr->checksum = spdk_crc32c_update(hdr, offsetof(struct ftl_nv_cache_header, checksum), 0);
-
-	rc = spdk_bdev_write_blocks(nv_cache->bdev_desc, ioch->cache_ioch, hdr, 0, 1,
-				    ftl_nv_cache_wrap_cb, nv_cache);
+	rc = ftl_nv_cache_write_header(nv_cache, ftl_nv_cache_wrap_cb, nv_cache);
 	if (spdk_unlikely(rc != 0)) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Unable to write non-volatile cache metadata header: %s\n",
 			    spdk_strerror(-rc));
@@ -1118,7 +1104,7 @@ ftl_reserve_nv_cache(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, size_t *num_lbks, unsigned i
 		nv_cache->current_addr = FTL_NV_CACHE_DATA_OFFSET;
 		nv_cache->phase = ftl_nv_cache_next_phase(nv_cache->phase);
 		nv_cache->ready = false;
-		spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_core_thread(dev), ftl_nv_cache_wrap, dev);
+		spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_core_thread(dev), ftl_nv_cache_wrap, nv_cache);
 	}
 out:
 	pthread_spin_unlock(&nv_cache->lock);
@@ -1266,6 +1252,30 @@ ftl_write_nv_cache(struct ftl_io *parent)
 	_ftl_write_nv_cache(parent);
 }
 
+int
+ftl_nv_cache_write_header(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, spdk_bdev_io_completion_cb cb_fn,
+			  void *cb_arg)
+{
+	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = SPDK_CONTAINEROF(nv_cache, struct spdk_ftl_dev, nv_cache);
+	struct ftl_nv_cache_header *hdr = nv_cache->dma_buf;
+	struct spdk_bdev *bdev;
+	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
+
+	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+
+	memset(hdr, 0, spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev));
+
+	hdr->phase = (uint8_t)nv_cache->phase;
+	hdr->size = spdk_bdev_get_num_blocks(bdev);
+	hdr->uuid = dev->uuid;
+	hdr->version = FTL_NV_CACHE_HEADER_VERSION;
+	hdr->checksum = spdk_crc32c_update(hdr, offsetof(struct ftl_nv_cache_header, checksum), 0);
+
+	return spdk_bdev_write_blocks(nv_cache->bdev_desc, ioch->cache_ioch, hdr, 0, 1,
+				      cb_fn, cb_arg);
+}
+
 static void
 ftl_write_fail(struct ftl_io *io, int status)
 {
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
index 9447b1d95..1950b07a2 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
@@ -294,6 +294,8 @@ int	ftl_retrieve_chunk_info(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_ppa ppa,
 				unsigned int num_entries);
 bool	ftl_ppa_is_written(struct ftl_band *band, struct ftl_ppa ppa);
 int	ftl_flush_active_bands(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, spdk_ftl_fn cb_fn, void *cb_arg);
+int	ftl_nv_cache_write_header(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, spdk_bdev_io_completion_cb cb_fn,
+				  void *cb_arg);
 
 #define ftl_to_ppa(addr) \
 	(struct ftl_ppa) { .ppa = (uint64_t)(addr) }
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
index 23e4ec07a..7b1cfa451 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@
 #include "spdk/ftl.h"
 #include "spdk/likely.h"
 #include "spdk/string.h"
-#include "spdk/crc32.h"
 
 #include "ftl_core.h"
 #include "ftl_anm.h"
@@ -872,13 +871,8 @@ static void
 ftl_write_nv_cache_md_cb(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg)
 {
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = cb_arg;
-	struct iovec *iovs = NULL;
-	int iov_cnt = 0;
 
-	spdk_bdev_io_get_iovec(bdev_io, &iovs, &iov_cnt);
-	spdk_dma_free(iovs[0].iov_base);
 	spdk_bdev_free_io(bdev_io);
-
 	if (spdk_unlikely(!success)) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Writing non-volatile cache's metadata header failed\n");
 		ftl_init_fail(dev);
@@ -893,40 +887,18 @@ static void
 ftl_clear_nv_cache_cb(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg)
 {
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = cb_arg;
-	struct spdk_bdev *bdev;
 	struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache = &dev->nv_cache;
-	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
-	struct ftl_nv_cache_header *hdr;
 
 	spdk_bdev_free_io(bdev_io);
-
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
-	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
-
 	if (spdk_unlikely(!success)) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Unable to clear the non-volatile cache bdev\n");
 		ftl_init_fail(dev);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	assert(sizeof(*hdr) <= spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev));
-	hdr = spdk_dma_zmalloc(spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev), spdk_bdev_get_buf_align(bdev), NULL);
-	if (spdk_unlikely(!hdr)) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("Memory allocation failure\n");
-		ftl_init_fail(dev);
-		return;
-	}
-
-	hdr->uuid = dev->uuid;
-	hdr->size = spdk_bdev_get_num_blocks(bdev);
-	hdr->version = FTL_NV_CACHE_HEADER_VERSION;
-	hdr->phase = dev->nv_cache.phase = 1;
-	hdr->checksum = spdk_crc32c_update(hdr, offsetof(struct ftl_nv_cache_header, checksum), 0);
-
-	if (spdk_bdev_write_blocks(nv_cache->bdev_desc, ioch->cache_ioch, hdr, 0, 1,
-				   ftl_write_nv_cache_md_cb, dev)) {
+	nv_cache->phase = 1;
+	if (ftl_nv_cache_write_header(nv_cache, ftl_write_nv_cache_md_cb, dev)) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Unable to write non-volatile cache metadata header\n");
-		spdk_dma_free(hdr);
 		ftl_init_fail(dev);
 	}
 }