The most glorious soft, moist Banana Coffee Cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel and finished with a sweet maple glaze. It’s the perfect treat for brunch, dessert, or anytime you need a cozy bite!
This recipe is not dry per your usual coffee cake. It's packed with moisture and flavor. If you prefer frosting on your banana cake rather than streusel, try Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting!
Who doesn't love cake for breakfast? I mean, it has fruit in it! I'm definitely one to have a quick bite of banana cake for breakfast, especially if you round it out with fruit and protein in the form of eggs or sausage.
You can even leave off the icing or frosting if you want to feel more virtuous. Lemon Zucchini Cake gives you some veggies with your meal. Meal plan and make enough Egg Bites to last the week.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Use up those bananas on the counter! I'm always looking for new recipes for overripe bananas. Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread is another great option.
- Easy to make ahead. Coffee cake will last on the counter for several days which means it's easy to make and enjoy.
- You can also freeze leftovers - that way you won't eat too much at once.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour will give you the perfect crumb in this coffee cake. I have not tested with any other flours.
- Sugar: I like both brown sugar and granulated sugar in cake, especially where we want a deeper flavor.
- Maple Cinnamon Sugar: I use The Spice House Maple Cinnamon Sugar.
- Banana: Go for the ripest bananas you've got! Brownish black bananas are best. Ripe bananas will add moisture, sweetness, and flavor. Use them for Banana Bread with Streusel topping too!
- Sour Cream: Always full fat. Again, this is added moisture so your cake doesn't dry out. It's also a bit of tang to counteract the sweet.
- Powdered Sugar: Combined with a splash of milk and maple syrup, this makes the perfect finishing touch.
- Maple Syrup: Use pure maple syrup or your favorite pancake syrup, either work.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Feel free to try pumpkin puree instead of banana! Pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting is another great recipe that can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert. Chocolate chips make a great addition to pumpkin bread or the banana cake, I prefer dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips.
- No maple cinnamon sugar, just use cinnamon sugar. ¼ cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- You can swap in some vanilla extract, 1 tsp, instead of the maple syrup in the glaze. Caramel sauce is another great topping to sub for the maple glaze.
- Skip the maple glaze all together and eat with just the streusel.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Maple Banana Coffee Cake
Step 1: Mix streusel topping in a large mixing bowl then chill until needed.
Step 2: Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl to combine.
Step 3: Mix butter, oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until thoroughly combined. Add mashed ripe bananas.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, making sure not to over mix the batter.
Step 5: Pour half the batter in the pan and add a layer of maple cinnamon sugar.
Step 6: Spread remaining batter over sugar then top with streusel crumbles. Bake Banana Coffee Cake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs.
Step 7: While coffee cake cools on a wire rack, mix powdered sugar with milk and maple syrup.
Step 8: Drizzle maple glaze over banana coffee cake. Slice and serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Using your hands while mixing streusel to grab mixture and squeeze together works best to incorporate dry pieces.
- Start with room temp ingredients so that the cake bakes evenly. This goes for most baking recipes, including Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Once you add wet to dry, do not over mix! Simply mix until everything is wet.
- I prefer unsalted butter for all of my baking. I think it's much easier to control the taste of the finished product.
Recipe FAQs
If you can't find this specific jar, feel free to make your own cinnamon sugar. I definitely don't buy a pre-mixed jar as it's too expensive. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to a jar and shake well. Use in this crumb cake recipe and anywhere else that calls for cinnamon sugar!
This crumb cake will last on the counter for up to a week, though might lose some moisture at the end. However, people expect coffee cake to be drier than a true dessert cake. Simply keep it covered tightly at room temperature will you enjoy it. I also recommend only slicing off each piece as you are serving it, and not slicing the entire cake. Less surface area means less chance of drying out.
I love using maple syrup in my glaze to bring out the maple filling in the center. However, you can use all milk or add in a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract before thinning with milk. You can also play with the ratios to get it the consistency you want, whether you prefer it to soak in and drip down the sides, or be a thicker "sit on top" type of icing. Homemade caramel sauce makes a great topping for this banana coffee cake recipe too!
Yes, Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream in this banana coffee cake recipe. It's a 1:1 ratio.
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📖Recipe
Banana Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 8x8 baking pan
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt diamond crystal brand
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt diamond crystal brand
Wet Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temp
- 1 large egg room temp
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed banana overripe
Filling
- 1 tablespoon maple cinnamon sugar The Spice House brand ** see note
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Make Streusel
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and non-stick cooking spray
- Stir all streusel ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl until completely wet. Set bowl in the fridge until needed
Whisk Dry Ingredients
- Whisk dry ingredient in a mixing bowl until well combined
Mix Cake Batter
- Mix melted butter, oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute
- Mix in sour cream then add the egg and vanilla, mixing until well combined
- Mix in mashed bananas
- Add dry ingredients then mix on low speed until combined
- Pour half of the cake batter into prepared pan then sprinkle maple cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. Add remaining batter and spread evenly
- Top batter with streusel topping then bake 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick to the center of the cake, it is finished when the toothpick comes out clean or with only a few crumbs
Make Maple Glaze
- While coffee cake is baking, make the maple glaze. Whisk all glaze ingredients in a small bowl then pour over the top after coffee cake comes out of the oven
Krista
I am in love with this Banana Coffee Cake! Super moist and full of flavor. Literally ate half the cake in one night - 2 separate times
Nancy S
Decided to make this because it sounded good, but I was blown away on how incredible it was. hHuge hit in the entire family. I’m addicted!!!!
Krista Stechman
So glad you all liked it!