Banana Coffee Cake

Name: Banana Coffeecake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened; 1 stick of butter, softened; 1 cup sugar; 2 eggs, room temperature; 1 cup mashed bananas, 3-4 medium; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 1/4 cups flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 – 1 cup chopped pecans; 2 Tablespoons brown sugar; 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 1/2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

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August 27, 2019
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This tender banana coffee cake has a pecan and cinnamon streusel topping that gives it extra flavor and crunch. It’s an elevated version of banana muffins and banana bread and is the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

This banana coffee cake is an example of frugality at it’s finest. Not only are you salvaging leftover brown bananas, but you can make an extra portion and freeze it to enjoy another day when your cookie jar is empty.

Did you know that you can stock your freezer with baked goodies too? You certainly can. Many cookies, muffins and breads can be frozen. You can easily make a double batch of whatever you’re baking and store one in the freezer.

The tender and crumbly coffee cake with distinct banana flavor is topped with crunchy pecans and a dusting of cinnamon. It’s so good to enjoy with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

Ingredients:

cream cheese – this is the secret ingredient in this tender coffee cake
butter – you’ll need butter for the batter and the streusel topping
sugar – granulated sugar for the batter and brown sugar for the streusel topping
eggs – use large eggs in this recipe
bananas – the bananas should be really ripe and dark brown
vanilla extract
all purpose flour
baking powder & baking soda
salt
pecans – you can use other nuts too, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
cinnamon – this will add a lovely flavor and spice to the coffee cake

Video of How To Make a Banana Coffee Cake:

Recipe for Banana Coffee Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch baking pan with baking spray.
First, prep the bananas. If you’re using frozen bananas, like I usually do, defrost them, peel and place in a fine mesh sieve. Drain until no liquid is left, about 5 minutes. Mash the bananas.
Then, cream the cream cheese, butter and sugar. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. It is really important that the cream cheese, butter and eggs be room temperature, so take them out before you start making the batter. This will ensure that they mix up evenly and are really light and fluffy. This will create a really tender cake.
Next, add the eggs, one at a time. With the mixer running on low, add eggs, one at a time until the eggs are incorporated. The eggs also need to be room temperature, otherwise the batter will look curdled if you add cold eggs into the cream cheese and butter mixture.
Add the mashed bananas and vanilla to the batter and mix to combine.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the batter. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until evenly mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Spread out the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Make the streusel topping. Combine all the streusel ingredients together in a small bowl and then spread evenly over the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Helpful Tips For the Best Banana Coffee Cake

What are the best bananas to use for baking?

The best bananas for baking are the ones that are really soft and dark brown. They are sweeter and more flavorful, so keep the firm yellow bananas for baking and wait for the bananas to become really ripe before you use them for baking. You can even freeze bananas to use them in baking at another time, then thaw them before using.

Use room temperature ingredients for the batter.

It is important for the cream cheese, butter and eggs to be room temperature for the batter to mix properly. The cake will turn out really tender and have a soft texture. The butter and cream cheese will be able to whip into an airy texture if they aren’t too cold or too hot. If the eggs are too cold, they will cause the cream cheese/butter mixture to curdle.

More delicious streusel options:

Instead of pecans, you can use any other kind of nuts – walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, etc. Coconut flakes are a great option too. You can omit the nuts altogether and just sprinkle the top of the coffeecake with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and flour. You can also add chocolate chips and nuts to the batter itself.

Can you freeze Banana Coffee Cake?

Yes! Banana Coffee cake freezes really well.
I usually cut the coffee cake into 4 portions. Wrap each portion in parchment paper and remember to label. Wrap each portion in several layers of plastic wrap or place in a ziptop bag or sealed container. It will stay fresh, if sealed properly, up to 6 months.
To thaw, unwrap the coffee cake and defrost. You can eat it as soon as it thaws or place it in the microwave for about a minute or heat up for 5-10 minutes in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven.

a slice of banana coffee cake with a streusel topping

More Delicious Banana Recipes: