Banana Coffee Cake

This Banana Coffee Cake is perfectly moist, packed with ripe bananas and has a hint of cinnamon — topped with a homemade cinnamon crumble topping and you have the perfect treat to serve at breakfast, brunches, showers, or whenever the sweet craving hits! 

Looking for more recipes to use up some of your ripe bananas? I have just the ones for you! Low Calorie Banana Pancakes are perfect for breakfast and a great way to mix up your pancake recipe rotation. Then there’s my Buttermilk Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins which are so light and fluffy. And my Cinnamon Banana Bread Recipe which is the ultimate banana bread recipe. You’ll love each of these recipes! 

Why This Recipe Works

• Insanely moist banana coffee cake. You are going to LOVE how moist this banana coffee cake recipe is. We use butter, oil, and sour cream to get the most amazing moistness. 
• Cinnamon crumble topping. The top of the banana crumb cake has a sweet cinnamon crumble topping made with melted butter. It’s like banana bread meets cinnamon crumble coffee cake — the BEST banana coffee cake! 
• Loads of banana. We use FOUR bananas in this banana coffee cake. It adds amazing banana flavor! 

Ingredient Notes

• Flour: Regular, all-purpose flour. Fluff the flour, then measure and level off with a knife. 
• Brown Sugar: Using a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar will give a deliciously moist texture. 
• Cinnamon: The cinnamon is the perfect touch! It isn’t overly powering, but you can tell it’s there. It’s the perfect complement to the banana coffee cake. 
• Unsalted Butter: Some the butter will be melted and used to make the crumble topping. The other half of the butter will need to be softened and that will be creamed with the sugars to provide a delicious crumb texture. 
• Baking Soda: The leavening agent used to create rise in the banana coffee cake recipe. 
• Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract adds the perfect flavor element and is a staple ingredient in dessert! 
• Sour Cream: Sour cream banana coffee cake is the way to go! Use full fat sour cream. This adds another element of fat to the cake mixture, creating a creamy and moist texture. 
• Vegetable Oil: Using butter and vegetable oil will give us the perfect texture that is moist and soft, with the delicious butter flavor, too. 
• Overripe Bananas: You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas or about 4 large bananas. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make the crumble. Combine 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour the 12 tablespoons of melted butter on top and stir to combine. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the banana crumb cake batter. Once the crumble hardens, you’ll want to break it up before spreading it on top of the batter in the pan.
2. Combine the dry ingredients for the banana coffee cake batter. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp salt. Mix to combine. 
3. Combine the wet ingredients. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 4 mashed bananas. Mix to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. 

4. Pour banana cake batter into the prepared pan. Pour the banana coffee cake bater into the baking dish and spread into an even layer. 
5. Add the crumble topping. Take the crumble from the fridge and crumble it into pieces. Spread the crumble on top of the batter, breaking the crumble into small pieces as you go. 
6. Bake the banana bread coffee cake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the coffee cake should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Remove and let cool before cutting. Enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

If you have some overly ripe bananas you need to use up, this banana crumb cake is the perfect recipe! You want to use overly ripe bananas (think brown bananas – or as brown as possible without being bad!) because they will be extra soft (easy to mash) and they will be much sweeter. 

No stand mixer? No problem! Use a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer. 

If you’d like, you can add some chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the crumble mixture to add a nutty element. 

Fluff the flour before measuring and don’t pack it in! Or else you will end up with too much flour. 

Mix the batter until no flour streaks remain, but do not over mix! You don’t want to overwork the batter or else the cake won’t bake as well. 

Turn your bananas into delicious frosted banana cookies!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

I even love this banana coffee cake on the second day! I feel like the flavors kind of meld together and it’s even more delicious! So, you can definitely make this a day in advance and serve it then. 

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. 

To freeze, let cool completely, then wrap and squares of the delicious coffee cake in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw. 

Recipe FAQs

More Coffee Cake Recipes

• Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake