This easy banana coffee cake recipe is made with ripe bananas and sour cream for a perfectly moist cake with a sweet crumble topping.
Despite its name, coffee isn't an ingredient in coffee cake, but the two are a perfect pairing. Enjoy banana crumb cake at breakfast or brunch with a hot cup of coffee. You can also serve it as dessert.
This post is sponsored by Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar. The recipe is my own original recipe.
Banana bread and coffee cake combine to create the perfect breakfast cake. This recipe is sweeter than banana bread and has a delicious cinnamon crumb topping made with Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar and Zulka® Pure Cane Brown Sugar.
This recipe is a great way to use up overripe bananas. With a dash of cinnamon, it is a great fall treat, but just like banana bread, you can enjoy this perfect crumb cake year-round.
Love this simple banana coffee cake? Try my easy blueberry coffee cake.
Recipe Highlights
- Easy recipe: This is a classic recipe with simple ingredients.
- Sweet treat: Mashed bananas, pure cane sugar, and pure cane brown sugar.
What is Zulka sugar?
Zulka® is an all-natural pure cane sugar that is minimally processed, vegan-friendly (bone char free), kosher, Non-GMO Project Verified, and certified C.L.E.A.N.
The best part is you can use Zulka® like other cane sugars. Simply replace other sugars cup-per-cup and tablespoon-per-tablespoon to make the switch. Baking with a more natural and sustainably produced sugar is as easy as that.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- Butter - Unsalted butter, softened
- Sugar - I used Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar
- Bananas - Ripe or overripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- Egg - To bind the cake and add richness
- Sour cream - Adds moisture and creates a tender crumb
- Vanilla - For flavor
- All-purpose flour - For the base
- Baking powder and Baking soda - Leavening agents to make the cake rise
- Cinnamon - To enhance the flavor
- Salt - Table salt
Crumble Topping Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - The base of the crumble topping
- Light brown sugar - Packed, I used Zulka® Pure Cane Brown Sugar
- Sugar - I used Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar
- Cinnamon - To enhance the flavor
- Salt - Table salt
- Unsalted butter - Melted to make large crumbs and fine crumbs
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
For the cake:
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and sugar.
Cream the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
Add the mashed banana, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until combined. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until combined.
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Set aside.
For the crumble topping:
In a small mixing bowl, stir the dry crumble topping ingredients together.
Add the melted butter. With a fork, gently fold the butter into the dry ingredients (see the recipe video). It will become crumbly with small and large crumbs.
Top the cake batter with the crumb topping mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (but no liquid batter). If the cake browns too quickly, place foil over the top and continue baking.
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Top Tips
- Use very ripe bananas. Ripe bananas with lots of brown spots are easier to mash and have a much sweeter banana flavor than unripe bananas.
- Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. It's tempting to skip a step and mix all of the cake ingredients together at once, but it's important to evenly distribute the leavening agents throughout the flour mixture for an even rise and a better bake.
- Try the toothpick test. When done, the cake will be golden brown around the edges, but this can be difficult to see since the cake is covered in crumble. You can insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come away with moist crumbs but no liquid batter.
Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter but reduce or eliminate the added salt as needed. You can also use butter-flavored shortening, margarine, or plant-based butter.
- Sour cream: Greek yogurt is a perfect substitute for sour cream.
For a vegan version, try this vegan banana cake.
Equipment
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- 8x8 baking dish - Use a glass or ceramic baking dish. If using a metal pan, it will affect the baking time and the overall texture of the cake, so monitor the cake closely. Also, if using a 9x9 baking dish, the cooking time will likely be shorter.
- Mixing bowls - Large bowl (for the cake batter), medium bowl (for the dry ingredients), and small bowl (for the streusel topping).
- Hand mixer - You can also use a stand mixer or mix by hand.
- Silicone spatula - To transfer the banana
cake batter from the mixing bowl to the baking dish.
Storage
To store leftover coffee cake, allow it to cool completely before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap or storing it in an airtight container. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze, wrap individual slices of cake in plastic wrap and foil, then thaw in the fridge.
FAQ
Yes! Coffee cake can be frozen. Once fully cooled, double wrap it, once in plastic wrap and once in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Alternatively, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then store it in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container.
Zulka® is minimally processed granulated sugar that is made by squeezing and evaporating the juice from freshly harvested sugar cane. Their sugar mills have been in the family for more than 100 years.
Related
Looking for more sweet breakfast treats?
📖 Recipe
Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup sugar I used Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar
- 2 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Crumble Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed, I used Zulka® Pure Cane Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup sugar I used Zulka® Morena Pure Cane Sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the mashed banana, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir the dry crumble topping ingredients together, then add the melted butter. With a fork, gently fold the butter into the dry ingredients. It will become crumbly with small and large crumbs. Top the cake batter with the crumb topping mixture.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (but no liquid batter). If the cake browns too quickly, place foil over the top and continue baking. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces thoroughly.
- Do not consume raw egg or raw flour.
- Store baked goods promptly in airtight containers to prevent spoilage.
The post Easy Banana Coffee Cake appeared first on By Kelsey Smith.