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Banana coffee cake is a great way to use up any overripe bananas you might have lying around! With a moist, fluffy, vanilla banana-flavored interior and a buttery streusel topping, this is a unique twist on coffee cake that will have you hooked after the first bite!
Coffee cake is a breakfast staple and a great way to add a little sweetness to your day! More great recipes to try next: blueberry buckle, apple coffee cake, and coffee cake muffins!
Banana Coffee Cake Recipe
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of baking with bananas after finding myself faced with a mile-high pile of well-browned bananas. They were just past their prime and desperately needed to be baked into something or would shortly need to be thrown out (and my freezer was and always is way too full to even consider storing them there).
I made batch after batch of my favorite banana bread, but eventually I wanted to try something different. So, this recipe for banana coffee cake was born! Trust me when I say that this is one of the best coffee cake recipes ever. It’s so moist and sweet, with a crumbly texture and delicious glaze on top that will leave you wanting more. This banana coffee cake is a great make-ahead breakfast or Mother’s Day brunch option, it’s simple, packed with flavor, and sure to be a hit with everyone. Let’s get into all the ingredients you need!
Coffee Cake Ingredients
I know it looks like a lot, but trust me, this banana coffee cake is so worth it! It’s the most delicious way to use up overripe bananas. See the recipe card below for all measurements.
Streusel
- Melted Butter: Adds a rich flavor to the streusel and also helps everything stick together.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the streusel topping structure.
- Light Brown and Granulated Sugar: I use both for the perfect sweetness and flavor!
- Ground Cinnamon: You can’t go wrong with a little warm spice in homemade desserts.
Banana Coffee Cake
- Unsalted Butter: Softened so it mixes together smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake itself.
- Ripe Bananas: Have your overripe bananas mashed and ready to go.
- Large Eggs: Give the banana coffee cake structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warm, sweet flavor to the cake. Use pure vanilla extract if you can!
- Sour Cream: The secret ingredient for an ultra-moist and tender cake!
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cake structure. All-purpose flour is great because it has a low protein content and will make your coffee cake light and crumbly.
- Baking Powder and Soda: Makes your cake light and airy.
- Ground Cinnamon: Another place to add a touch of this tasty spice.
- Salt: A little goes a long way to boost all the flavors in this cake.
Glaze (optional)
- Powdered Sugar: Makes the glaze sweet and also gives it substance.
- Milk: For adjusting the consistency.
How to Make Banana Coffee Cake
I’ve broken it up into 3 parts: the streusel, the cake, and the glaze! Despite all of the instructions this delicious cake is actually super easy to make.
- Preheat Oven, Prep Baking Dish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease and flour a 9×9 baking pan. Then set aside.
- Sugar Mixture: Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Beat until well-combined, then stir in mashed bananas.
- Mix In Wet Ingredients: Add eggs, stirring well after each addition, and then add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir well.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Combine: Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet, stirring until completely combined (be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl). I prefer to do this with a spatula to avoid over-mixing the batter.
- Add to Pan: Pour cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Prepare streusel.
Streusel
- Melt Butter: Melt butter in a medium-sized bowl on 10 second increments (stirring between) until just melted (you don’t want it to be too hot).
- Combine With Other Ingredients: Use a fork to whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour melted butter over mixture and use a fork to stir until combined (mixture should be crumbly).
- Sprinkle Crumb Mixture on Top: Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over batter.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or until centers spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few moist crumbs or clean.
- Cool: Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze (if using) and slicing and serving.
Glaze
- Combine Ingredients: If desired, make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled banana coffee cake.
Tips and Tricks
Banana coffee cake is really straightforward to make, but here are a few tips to make it turn out as perfectly as possible! I’ve also included a couple ways to customize it.
- Use Overripe Bananas: The #1 tip is to find the ripest bananas you can! The browner and spottier they are the better; this is going to give your banana coffee cake the best flavor and soft texture. Mash them up well (you can use a potato masher or even just a fork) and add them to your butter, sugar, eggs, and other wet ingredients.
- Don’t Overmix Streusel: Take care not to overwork the streusel mixture, or you’ll end up with a paste! You want the mixture to resemble coarse crumbs that you can use your hands to drop evenly over your banana coffee cake.
- Mix-Ins: If you want your coffee cake to have more texture, add in chopped walnuts or pecans!
- Add a Drizzle: Instead of the powdered sugar glaze, try adding caramel sauce or white chocolate sauce!
Storing Leftovers
Here are a few different ways to keep your banana coffee cake fresh and delicious:
- At Room Temperature: Store wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- In the Refrigerator: Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- In the Freezer: Wrap in plastic wrap and then transfer to a freezer bag. Your cake will stay good for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let come to room temperature before serving.
More Ways to Use Overripe Bananas
If you have some overripe bananas on hand, don’t throw them away! They’re actually super useful and make these desserts taste even better. If you love banana sweet treats, you’ve got to check out my full list of recipes here.
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Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Banana Coffee Cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed, about 1 ½ cups
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Glaze (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and lightly grease and flour a 9×9 baking pan. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer. Beat until well-combined, then stir in mashed bananas.
- Add the eggs, mixing well after each addition, and then add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir well.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet, stirring until completely combined (be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl). I prefer to do this with a spatula to avoid over-mixing the batter.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Streusel
- Melt butter in a medium-sized bowl on 10 second increments (stirring between) until just melted (you don't want it to be too hot).
- Use a fork to whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour melted butter over mixture and use a fork to stir until crumbly and combined.
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.
- Bake on 350F for 35 minutes, or until centers spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few moist crumbs or clean.
- Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze (if using) and slicing and serving.
Glaze
- If desired, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled banana coffee cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Everyone complaining that the streusel topping is way too much… No way!! I love my coffee cake with plenty of streusel on top! Delish. Great recipe and a nice alternative to banana bread, which is usually what I always use my ripe bananas for. Thank you!
Just looked at the recipe and didn’t find any coffee in it! Am I missing something here?
Hi Ida, ‘coffee cake’ just refers to the type of cake here, since it’s more dense and crumbly than traditional cake. There isn’t any actual coffee in the recipe.