Step up your brunch game with this delicious banana bread coffee cake. It packs a ton of fall flavor thanks to a ribbon of cinnamon filling and a rich streusel topping!
Jessie's Note
I am, admittedly - and with an appropriate amount of shame - a little meh on banana bread. I don't hate it! But I also don't really crave it. Sure, I'll make banana chocolate chip muffins when I need to use up a few sad, brown bananas on the counter. But banana breads are rarely something I plan ahead for.
Until now. Because this banana bread coffee cake? I cannot and WILL NOT shut up about it. (Yesterday, I bought extra bananas specifically so I could make this recipe again over the weekend. Who am I??!)
Like our fan-favorite pumpkin coffee cake, this recipe features three main components: The batter itself, a cinnamon filling, and rich crumb topping.
You'll need a few different bowls in order to prep each component, but once everything is mixed, the assembly is pretty quick! This recipe keeps well on the counter if you want to make it a day in advance.
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
This recipe is pretty straightforward, but it does have a few different moving pieces. Before you jump in, we want to highlight a couple of things:
- Ripe bananas. Look for bananas with lots of browning on the peels and a squishy feel to them. Extra soft bananas are easier to mash, so they incorporate more smoothly into our final batter. These over-ripe bananas are also much sweeter, which gives our coffee cake better, more luxurious flavor.
- If you can, let the egg and milk sit on the counter for 30 minutes or so before you mix the batter. Room temperature ingredients mix more smoothly, yielding a slightly taller coffee cake with a more even crumb (see an example in our cupcake tips post!) This step isn't a dealbreaker, but it's an easy trick to improve baked goods!
- You'll need two forms of butter here: Melted butter goes in the batter itself, while room temperature butter forms the backbone of our streusel topping.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add extra toppings. Dust cooled coffee cake with powdered sugar, or add a drizzle of cinnamon glaze or cream cheese icing (à la our small batch cinnamon rolls!)
- Add a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans to the coffee cake batter at the end of mixing for extra texture.
Please use a kitchen scale!
Measuring dry ingredients by volume is notoriously unreliable: Because each person measures a cup of flour a little bit differently, it's easy to accidentally use too much flour in a recipe and end up with dry, dense coffee cake.
But when you measure ingredients by weight with a kitchen scale, you get a perfect measurement every time — so if you have a scale, please use it! (No scale? Measure with the scoop and level method for best results!)
Step by step instructions
Prep the filling
Mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl with a pinch of kosher salt. Set this aside while you prep the rest of the components.
Make the crumble topping
In a separate bowl, use a fork to combine room temperature butter, more brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour with a pinch of kosher salt. Take your time mixing this crumble: The goal is to fully incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter.
The crumble will start off looking sandy and light, but will darken in color as you continue to mix it. You'll know it's ready when it clumps together easily: It should hold its shape when you pinch it together between your fingers.
First time making a crumble? Read our cinnamon streusel topping post for additional step-by-step photos and a ton of helpful notes!
Make the batter
Start by mashing your bananas with a fork until they're quite smooth. Whisk the mashed banana together with an egg, melted butter, and granulated sugar.
Equipment Note: You can make this coffee cake batter in a stand mixer, or use an electric hand mixer if you want to. We usually just mix the batter with the same fork we used to mash the bananas to keep things simple!
Stir the rest of your dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon) into the batter until everything is about halfway mixed (Image 10, above).
Whisk your remaining wet ingredients (milk, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar) together in a separate, small measuring cup, then slowly stir that liquid into the batter. Stir until everything is just combined, and no dry flour remains.
You should end up with a fairly thick, somewhat airy batter.
Assemble
Once everything is prepped, it's time to assemble! Line a baking pan (we recommend an 8x8 metal pan) with parchment paper.
Learn more: How to line a baking pan with parchment.
Scoop half of your batter into the pan (Image 14, above), and spread it into an even layer. You can eyeball this - it doesn't have to be perfect!
We recommend using a small offset spatula to make this easier (15). Be sure to spread the batter into each corner, and try to smooth out the top as best you can.
Grab the cinnamon sugar filling mixture you made earlier, and sprinkle it across the surface of the batter (16). Try to spread the filling in an even layer, being sure to reach all the way to the edges and into each corner (17).
Add the remaining batter to your pan. We recommend adding the batter in a few large dollops across the surface of the filling (18). This helps it feel like you're connecting the dots as you spread the batter around (as opposed to putting one big glob in the very center and then having to stretch it out into each corner, which can be difficult with the filling layer underneath).
Use your offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer, again reaching to each edge and into the corners (19).
Finally, sprinkle the cinnamon crumble across the surface of the coffee cake (20). Break up any extra-large clumps as you go, so that you have a relatively even layer with similarly-sized clumps of streusel topping.
Bake
Bake the coffee cake in a preheated oven at 325° F, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Pro Tip: A toothpick may still pick up some the cinnamon filling when the coffee cake is done - that's ok! You're primarily looking for the tester to be clean of any large, raw clumps of the batter.
Let the coffee cake cool completely (at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour or two!). Top with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional), slice, and serve!
Storing Leftovers
Store cooled coffee cake slices in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. The crumb will stay fairly moist thanks to the banana in the batter, although the streusel topping will soften a bit as it sits.
You can freeze sliced coffee cake in an airtight container for 3-4 months. Thaw frozen coffee cake on the counter for a few hours when you're ready for it.
To help leftover coffee cake feel "fresh" again, pop it in a hot oven (we recommend 325° Fahrenheit) for just a few minutes, until it's warmed through and the crumb topping has crisped back up.
Note: We don't recommend storing banana coffee cake in the fridge, as the refrigerator air can dry it out more quickly.
Tips from our recipe testers
- Double the amount of crumble if you like a thicker layer of topping! As written, this recipe makes enough crumble for a thin layer that covers most of the coffee cake's surface - just enough to add some texture.
- Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a drizzle of cinnamon glaze just before serving for an Instagram-worthy finish.
- Use a kitchen scale! Properly measuring ingredients yields a more consistent final result.
FAQs
You can use a stand mixer or electric mixer if you like, but you really don't need to! If you do use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl very well. Because we're working with such a small amount of batter in this banana coffee cake, pockets of dry ingredients can easily get trapped at the bottom of a stand mixer. It may take a little finessing to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Baking soda and baking powder are an important duo: Baking soda reacts with a bit of acid (in this case, apple cider vinegar and a touch of baking powder) to make the bread rise. The soda + powder combo also helps baked goods brown, which gives our finished coffee cake a richer, deeper color. (See this technique in action in our Banana Muffins, Apple Butter Coffee Cake, and Pumpkin Bread!)
Yes! This banana coffee cake recipe is easy to make a day in advance: Bake it as directed, then leave it on the counter overnight, covered with a clean tea towel to preserve the texture. The banana in this batter will keep it nice and moist, making it a perfect make-ahead brunch idea!
We don't recommend covering it with an airtight seal (like a piece of plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid) if the coffee cake is just sitting overnight: A clean tea towel protects it from any dust while still allowing just enough airflow to keep the topping nice and crispy.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Banana Bread Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 9
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
This cozy banana coffee cake is perfect for a weekend brunch! With a ribbon of cinnamon filling and a classic cinnamon streusel topping.
Ingredients
For the Filling (optional):
- 53 grams brown sugar (¼ cup)
- 2 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
- 15 grams all purpose flour (2 Tablespoons)
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Crumble:
- 80 grams brown sugar (⅓ packed cup)
- 60 grams all purpose flour (½ cup)
- 7 grams ground cinnamon (1 Tablespoon)
- 70 grams unsalted butter (5 Tablespoons), softened to room temperature
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the batter:
- 270 grams ripe banana (about 1 cup when mashed, or 2-3 large bananas)
- 70 grams sugar (⅓ cup)
- 1 egg
- 53g melted butter (¼ cup)
- 270 grams all purpose flour (about 2 ¼ cups when measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
- 4 grams ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons)
- 4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)
- 80 grams milk (⅓ cup)
- 14 grams apple cider vinegar (1 Tablespoon)
- 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
Instructions
Prep the components:
- Line a metal 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 325° F.
- Make the filling. Whisk brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Make the crumble. Add softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of kosher salt to a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to slowly mash the dry ingredients into the butter, until you have a crumbly mixture that holds together when pressed. Keep mashing until no dry bits remain: Everything should be worked into the butter, kind of like a very thick compound butter. Set aside while you make the batter.
Make the batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to mash bananas until they're fairly smooth. Try to work out as many lumps as possible!
- Add sugar, egg, and melted butter to the mashed bananas; whisk together until you have a smooth mixture.
- Add flour, cinnamon, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl. Stir until the mixture is about halfway combined.
- In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Slowly stream this liquid mixture into the batter, stirring as you go, and mix until ingredients are just combined.
Assemble and bake:
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared metal pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer that reaches all corners of the pan.
- Spoon filling evenly over the first layer of batter. Top with remaining batter, and once again use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer (Tip: It helps to place the remaining batter over the surface of the filling in multiple small scoops, rather than spreading out from one large blob in the center, so that it feels like you're connecting the dots as you spread it into an even layer).
- Top with the prepared crumble. Break the crumble up as you go if needed, so that the pieces are fairly uniform in size.
- Bake 45-50 minutes at 325° F, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center of the coffee cake comes out clean. Let cool completely, then slice and serve. Optional: Top coffee cake with a dusting of powdered sugar for a beautiful presentation!
Notes
Additions and substitutions. Add chopped, toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans) to the coffee cake batter if you like. Omit the filling if you'd like to reduce the sugar in this recipe. Top with powdered sugar or a quick cinnamon glaze. Use melted coconut oil or vegetable oil in place of the melted butter.
For help with the crumble (streusel) topping, including additional step-by-step photos and expert tips, read through our full cinnamon crumble topping tutorial.
How ripe should my bananas be? We prefer using very ripe bananas here because they are a bit sweeter and softer. Choose bananas with heavily browned peels and very squishy fruit. You can use less-ripe bananas if you need to: they just won’t mix into the batter quite as well and the sweetness of the coffee cake won’t feel quite as well balanced (but it's not an enormous difference!)
A note about measuring bananas: If you mash up 2 big bananas but don't quite reach 270 grams, don't worry! We tested this recipe with a variety of banana sizes, and you can go as low as 160 grams of mashed banana if absolutely necessary: the final texture won't be quite as soft, and the banana flavor won't be as strong, but the recipe will still work! If you have extra mashed banana left over, pop it in the freezer for smoothies.
Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable – for best results, use a scale to measure by weight with the gram measurements provided! We test with and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results. Note: If you have a different brand of kitchen scale, you may want to use a volume measurement for ingredients requiring 1 teaspoon or less; some kitchen scale brands we've tested struggle to accurately measure ingredients under ~5 grams, although we've found Escali scales to be very reliable even at small quantities!
Store cooled coffee cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One 2.5-inch square slice
- Calories: 367
- Sugar: 26.4 g
- Sodium: 378 mg
- Fat: 12.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.5 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 50.2 mg
Lucile V
Hello!
I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks so delicious that I'm giving it 5★ for now. 😋
Quick question: can I make this cake in cupcake form? If so, what adjustments do I need to make (especially for baking)?
Thanks in advance, I can't wait to try this little gem!
Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry
We love this recipe! It's worth baking it once as written to get a feel for how the batter behaves. For cupcake size, reduce the bake time significantly - start checking at the 15-minute mark and continue until a toothpick comes out clean.
Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry
I love banana bread but this coffee cake may take a new place of honor in my recipe file! It is so good and the layer of filling in the middle really adds to the final dish. So good!