Banana Coffee Cake is soft, moist, and packed with rich banana flavor, finished with a buttery cinnamon crumb topping that melts in every bite. It's the perfect way to use ripe bananas while creating a cozy, bakery-style treat at home. Whether for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, this cake is guaranteed to impress.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Breakfast / Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 25 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 8-10 servings
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet, buttery, banana-rich, cinnamon-spiced
- 🍚 Best Served With: Coffee, tea, fresh fruit
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes
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This banana coffee cake recipe is one of those easy, comforting bakes that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma. It's a simple recipe that feels special enough for guests but easy enough for everyday baking.
This was inspired by my banana upside down cake and old fashioned banana pudding cake on this site, and pairs well with this amazing sprinkles ice cream.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Soft and moist texture: The bananas keep the cake tender and never dry
- Easy to make: Simple ingredients and no complicated steps required
- Bakery-style crumb topping: Adds a crunchy cinnamon layer that elevates the cake
- Perfect for any time: Great for breakfast, brunch, snacks, or dessert
- Crowd-pleasing recipe: Loved by both kids and adults
Ingredients
This recipe uses simple pantry staples and ripe bananas, making it easy to whip up anytime.
- Salted butter: Adds richness and moisture while helping create a tender cake
- Light brown sugar: Provides sweetness and a deeper caramel flavor
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the cake
- Sour cream: Keeps the cake extra moist and soft or use plain Greek yogurt
- Bananas: Adds natural sweetness, moisture, and banana flavor
- All-purpose flour, Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Provides light and fluffy structure to the cake
- Butter, Flour and Sugar: Creates a rich, crumbly, streusel topping
- Powdered sugar, Milk and Vanilla: Makes wonderful icing to glaze banana coffee cake
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Variations
- Walnuts or Pecans: Adds crunch and nutty flavor
- Chocolate Chips: Adds sweetness and richness
- Blueberries: Adds fruity freshness
- Double Topping: Adds extra crumb texture
- Cinnamon: Add ½ tablespoon of cinnamon to your cake batter as warmth of cinnamon works well with bananas
How to Make Banana Coffee Cake
This banana coffee cake is simple to make and comes together in just a few easy steps. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Step 1: Wet Ingredients. Combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the ingredients together for about 2 minutes, or until creamy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla followed by the sour cream and bananas until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Step 2: Dry Ingredients. Gently whisk in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Pour your batter into baking dish.
In a small bowl, melt the butter for your topping and then whisk together the melted butter, flour, and sugar.
Sprinkle your crumbly topping mixture over the cake batter.
Bake your cake for 25 minutes.
Let your cake cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Drizzle on top of cake before serving, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe bananas (not underripe or overripe): Choose bananas that are soft with brown spots for the best balance of sweetness and flavor. Underripe bananas lack flavor, while overly dark bananas can become too strong.
- Don't overmix the batter: Mix just until the ingredients are combined after adding flour, as overmixing develops gluten and can make your cake dense instead of soft and tender.
- Measure flour properly: Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid adding too much, which can lead to a dry, heavy coffee cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Let butter, eggs, and sour cream sit out before baking so they blend smoothly and create a more even, consistent texture.
- Make a coarse, crumbly topping: Mix the topping until it forms crumbs instead of a paste so it bakes into that classic bakery-style streusel.
- Check for doneness early: Insert a toothpick into the center a few minutes before the bake time ends. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs, the cake is perfectly baked.
- Bake until just set: Avoid overbaking, as this can dry out the cake and reduce its soft, moist texture.
- Let the cake cool before slicing: Allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes so it sets properly and slices cleanly without falling apart.
- Use parchment paper for easy removal: Lining your pan prevents sticking and allows you to lift the cake out easily for perfect slices.
- Add extra crumb topping: Doubling the topping creates a thicker, bakery-style layer that adds texture and makes the cake even more irresistible.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy sour cream blueberry coffee cake and easy peach coffee cake.
Storage Directions
- Room Temperature: You can store your cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days and add icing before serving for best results. You can also keep it in the pan and just cover it with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerator: Store up to 4 days in airtight container and allow to come to room temperature or warm when serving.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 2 months wrapped up airtight.
- Reheat: Microwave 15-20 seconds.
- Make Ahead: Bake a day in advance if desired.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with yogurt and grandma's old fashioned fruit salad
- Add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
- Serve at brunch with easy sheet pan breakfast and breakfast sliders
- Enjoy as an afternoon snack with a caramel drizzle
- This recipe pairs perfectly alongside sweet treats like peanut butter banana smoothies or banana french toast bake.
Recipe FAQs
Banana coffee cake is a soft, moist cake made with ripe bananas and topped with a crumbly streusel or cinnamon topping. Despite the name, it doesn't usually contain coffee. It's meant to be served alongside coffee. The bananas add natural sweetness and moisture, making it richer and more flavorful than a traditional coffee cake.
The best bananas for banana coffee cake are very ripe, with dark brown or black spots on the peel. These bananas are softer, sweeter, and more flavorful, which helps create a moist and tender cake. Underripe bananas won't provide the same sweetness or texture.
Yes, frozen bananas work very well in banana coffee cake. Simply thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid before mashing and adding to the batter. Frozen bananas are often even sweeter, making them a great option.
To keep banana coffee cake moist, use very ripe bananas, measure flour carefully, and avoid overbaking. Ingredients like sour cream or yogurt also help maintain moisture. Storing the cake in an airtight container will prevent it from drying out.
Yes, banana coffee cake is a great make-ahead recipe. In fact, it often tastes even better the next day as the flavors develop. You can bake it a day in advance and store it covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Yes, banana coffee cake freezes well. Allow it to cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
A dense banana coffee cake is usually caused by overmixing the batter or adding too much flour. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes the cake tougher. Measuring ingredients accurately and mixing just until combined will help keep the cake light and tender.
Banana bread is typically denser and baked in a loaf pan, while banana coffee cake is lighter and often includes a crumb topping or streusel layer. Coffee cake also tends to have a softer, more tender texture and is served in slices rather than thick bread pieces.
Yes, you can easily customize banana coffee cake by adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips. These additions enhance both the flavor and texture, giving the cake extra richness and a bit of crunch or sweetness.
Banana coffee cake is best served slightly warm or at room temperature. It pairs perfectly with coffee, tea, or milk. You can also serve it with whipped cream, a drizzle of icing, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dessert-style treat.
More Cake Recipes
Do you like cakes? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Banana Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs thoroughly beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Toppings
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½-1 ½ tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Start by preparing your cake batter. Combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the ingredients together for about 2 minutes, or until creamy.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla followed by the sour cream and bananas until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Gently whisk in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until no dry pockets remain. Pour your batter into an 8x8 inch baking dish coated with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter for your topping and then whisk together the melted butter, flour, and sugar. Sprinkle your crumbly topping mixture over the cake batter. Bake your cake for 25 minutes.
- Let your cake cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
- You can serve this cake plain or top it with a simple vanilla icing.
Icing (Optional)
- In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla and the lowest amount of milk. Add more milk gradually until you reach desired consistency. Drizzle on top of cake before serving.
Notes
- Use ripe bananas (not underripe or overripe): Choose bananas that are soft with brown spots for the best balance of sweetness and flavor-underripe bananas lack flavor, while overly dark bananas can become too strong
- Don't overmix the batter: Mix just until the ingredients are combined after adding flour, as overmixing develops gluten and can make your cake dense instead of soft and tender
- Measure flour properly: Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid adding too much, which can lead to a dry, heavy coffee cake
- Use room temperature ingredients: Let butter, eggs, and sour cream sit out before baking so they blend smoothly and create a more even, consistent texture
- Make a coarse, crumbly topping: Mix the topping until it forms crumbs instead of a paste so it bakes into that classic bakery-style streusel
- Check for doneness early: Insert a toothpick into the center a few minutes before the bake time ends-if it comes out with a few moist crumbs, the cake is perfectly baked
- Bake until just set: Avoid overbaking, as this can dry out the cake and reduce its soft, moist texture
- Let the cake cool before slicing: Allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes so it sets properly and slices cleanly without falling apart
- Use parchment paper for easy removal: Lining your pan prevents sticking and allows you to lift the cake out easily for perfect slices
- Add extra crumb topping: Doubling the topping creates a thicker, bakery-style layer that adds texture and makes the cake even more irresistible
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