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    Home » Breakfast

    Banana Coffee Cake

    July 12, 2023 By Sam 12 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    collage of banana coffee cake, top image of cake slices photographed from above neatly placed, bottom image of single slice on white plate

    This banana coffee cake is the perfect banana bread and coffee cake hybrid! It’s soft, moist, and SO flavorful with a pecan and chocolate chip infused streusel topping.

    Overhead view of a banana coffee cake that's been removed from the pan and cut into square pieces.

    Your New Favorite Breakfast Cake

    This beautiful banana coffee cake is a delightful cross between my banana bread, banana muffins, and best coffee cake recipe. It has a perfectly balanced, distinctly banana crumb that’s moist, but not too moist. It’s richly flavored with a nice touch of cinnamon, and the crumbly, buttery streusel has pecans mixed in for depth of flavor (and a subtle crunch). Mini chocolate chips are the cherry on top, and they pair beautifully with the bananas.

    Why You’ll Love This Banana Coffee Cake

    • Flavor! Between the moist, ripe-banana crumb, the subtle tang of buttermilk, the flair of cinnamon, the crumbly-crisp streusel punctuated with nuts and chocolate, this is everything you could ask for in a coffee cake.
    • A+ texture. Banana-based baked goods must be carefully balanced (say that 5 times fast), and when not done properly the texture suffers. My recipe yields a soft, flavorful, perfectly tender crumb that’s just honestly delightful.
    • The topping puts everything over the top. And yet, it’s not too decadent or rich (coffee cake shouldn’t be either of those things). It adds a lovely crisp texture that complements the tender banana-flavored crumb. The chocolate, the nuts… coupled with the banana crumb they just make this truly the best breakfast cake you’ll ever try.
    • It’s easy to make. No mixer, no fancy technique, no special ingredients. A few humble pantry staples come together to make an incredible treat.
    Streusel and chocolate chip topped pieces of coffee cake surrounded by mini chocolate chips.

    This recipe was surprisingly tricky to figure out, and I think I made 20 versions before I was happy with it. Bananas can be tricky to balance. If you use too many, the crumb can be soggy, spongey, and just too moist; on the other hand, if you use too little, you have a weak flavor.

    I worked really hard to balance things and am thrilled with how it ultimately turned out.

    What You Need

    Most of these ingredients are pretty straightforward, so I won’t spend too much time going over them. Here are a few to note before getting started:

    Overhead view of ingredients including bananas, brown sugar, buttermilk, and more.
    • Bananas. Your bananas should be very ripe, preferably even riper than the ones pictured above. Brown or even black bananas will give you the most flavor here, just like in my banana cupcake recipe.
    • Nuts. I changed up my traditional streusel recipe a bit by adding in some nuts. I like to use pecans here, but you can always use walnuts–either complements the banana really well. Or you can just leave out the nuts entirely, no other alterations to the recipe needed.
    • Buttermilk. This makes our banana coffee cake super tender, moist, and flavorful. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, I have an easy buttermilk substitute you can make in a pinch.
    • Cinnamon. I don’t always add cinnamon to my streusel, but when it comes to coffee cake, it’s a must! This adds so much complex flavor.
    • Mini chocolate chips. These are optional and of course add richness to the cake, but chocolate and banana go SO well together, so I couldn’t resist. If you like chocolate chip banana bread, definitely go for the chocolate chips here! I don’t mix them into the streusel, but sprinkle them on top just before baking.

    SAM’S TIP: While we are using baking soda and buttermilk together here, they don’t always have to be used in conjunction. Sometimes buttermilk is added without baking soda simply for the flavor and texture it imparts, like in my blueberry cream cheese muffins. I don’t recommend just adding baking soda to a recipe that uses buttermilk unless the recipe explicitly says to.

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Banana Coffee Cake

    Streusel Topping

    My streusel is SO easy! There’s no pastry cutter needed, since we used melted butter instead of cubed cold butter. I love this method!

    Overhead view of streusel in a bowl with chocolate chips sitting beside it.
    1. Whisk together all ingredients except the butter and chocolate until combined.
    2. Drizzle in the melted butter and claw the mixture together with a fork until the mixture is clumpy. Set the streusel and the chocolate chips aside for later.

    Cake Batter

    Overhead view of batter in a bowl beside a bowl of streusel.
    1. Cream together the butter and sugars, then stir in the eggs until well combined.
    2. Add the mashed banana and vanilla and stir well.
    3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gently fold half into the wet ingredients.
    4. Add the buttermilk and stir until almost completely combined.
    5. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the pan and stir until just combined.

    SAM’S TIP: This batter must be completely mixed until it is uniform, but be careful that you don’t over-mix. Over-mixing quick breads like this cake (and muffins too!) can make the crumb dry and too dense.

    Assembly

    Overhead view of a square cake pan of coffee cake topped with mini chocolate chips.
    1. Spread your batter into a greased/floured or parchment lined 9×9 pan.
    2. Sprinkle the streusel in an even layer, then evenly scatter the chocolate chops over the top.
    3. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350F and let cool completely before slicing.

    SAM’S TIP: While my other coffee cake recipes have a glaze, I found that it was just overkill here, especially with the chocolate chips. If you’d like to use a glaze, you can leave out the chocolate chips and use my vanilla glaze; however, I prefer it this way.

    Slice of streusel and chocolate chip topped banana coffee cake on a white plate with one bite missing.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can this recipe be made in a 9×13?

    Yes! You can double this recipe for a 9×13 pan. Note that your bake time will be longer, and even longer yet if your pan is glass. Use a toothpick test to check for doneness, as always.

    What’s the best way to store banana coffee cake?

    Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep this way for up to 3 days. You can also wrap and freeze this cake for a few months.

    Where is the coffee!?

    In America, “Coffee cake” is referred to as a frosting-less cake that is meant to be served with coffee, not a cake made with coffee. Banana coffee cake is simply a banana-flavored spin on the classic cake, it pairs well with your morning cup of Joe! Here’s a fun history on the origins of coffee cake!

    Pieces of banana coffee cake stacked on top of each other.

    Interested in another flavor coffee cake? Let me know what you’d like to see in the comments below!

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    Overhead view of a banana coffee cake that's been removed from the pan and cut into square pieces.

    Banana Coffee Cake

    This banana coffee cake tastes like a banana bread and coffee cake hybrid! It's soft, moist, and SO flavorful with a pecan and chocolate chip infused streusel topping.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Cake
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9 servings
    Calories: 552kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    Streusel

    • 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅓ cup (38 g) chopped pecans or walnuts optional
    • 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter melted
    • ⅓ cup (65 g) mini chocolate chips optional

    Cake

    • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
    • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
    • 2 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)
    • 1 cup (235) mashed overripe banana (about 2-3 bananas for me)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk

    Recommended Equipment

    • 9×9 baking pan
    • Mixing bowls
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9×9 baking pan with baking spray (or grease and flour, or line with parchment paper). Set aside and prepare streusel.

    Streusel

    • Whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and nuts.
      1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup (38 g) chopped pecans or walnuts
    • Drizzle melted butter over mixture and use a fork to claw together until you have a clumpy streusel. Measure out chocolate chips and set aside along with streusel for later.
      6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, ⅓ cup (65 g) mini chocolate chips

    Cake

    • Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat until well creamed.
      ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
    • Add eggs and beat until well-combined. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla extract.
      2 large eggs, 1 cup (235) mashed overripe banana, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
      1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
    • Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and use a spatula to gently fold together until nearly combined. Add buttermilk, stir until nearly combined, then add remaining flour mixture and stir until just combined.
      ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk

    Assembly

    • Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Top batter with the streusel mixture in an even layer and sprinkle mini chocolate chips overtop, if using.
    • Transfer to center rack of oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

    Notes

    Storing

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. This recipe may be tightly wrapped and frozen (after cooling completely) for several months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 646IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maria B Rugolo

      September 15, 2023 at 11:25 am

      Question please. Your coffee cake recipe is a winner. I can’t wait to try this banana coffee cake. Two questions please: I always freeze my bananas when they are overly ripe. Can I thaw, squeeze out excess liquid, measure and use for this recipe? AND
      To make this into a 9×13, would I increase the recipe by half?
      Thank you Sam.

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 25, 2023 at 10:03 pm

        Hi Maria! I haven’t ever tried using bananas handled this way, but what you are describing sounds like it should work. If you do try it, I would love to know how it goes. Yes you will need to increase the recipe by 50% for a 9 x 13. 🙂

        Reply
      • Emma Tristram

        February 09, 2024 at 4:13 am

        I can’t see coffee anywhere in this recipe

        Reply
        • Sam

          February 09, 2024 at 9:44 am

          Hi Emma! Coffee is not an ingredient in a coffee cake. 🙂

    2. Kelsey

      July 31, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      Have you ever tried a layer of the streusel in the middle of the cake? I love the cake so good!! Just wondering!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 03, 2023 at 12:24 pm

        Hi Kelsey! I have not tried it. It would probably soften and not remain crisp, but it could still be delicious. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Anna

      July 17, 2023 at 11:54 am

      5 stars
      This cake is fantastic! I had really very overripe bananas and intended to bake a banana bread. But how resist to streusels?? And chocolate chips ? It turned out beautifully, soft and not overly „banana“ (if that makes sense) with super crunchy streusels on top. Will most certainly bake it again!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 22, 2023 at 10:59 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Anna! 🙂

        Reply
      • Carol

        March 16, 2024 at 11:01 am

        This looks delicious! Will this recipe work as muffins?

        Reply
        • Sam

          March 18, 2024 at 12:04 pm

          Hi Carol! I’m not sure how much they will rise. I do have a banana muffin recipe you could check out. 🙂

    4. Syndee

      July 14, 2023 at 10:20 pm

      5 stars
      What a great coffee cake! My family absolutely loves your best coffee cake so I was excited to try this one. It does not disappoint! It turned out super moist and so full of flavor! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 15, 2023 at 10:26 pm

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Syndee! 🙂

        Reply

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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