Banana coffee cake is one of those recipes I make when I have ripe bananas sitting around and want something a little different from banana bread. It has a soft banana cake base, a cinnamon filling layer, and a crumb topping on top, so you get a mix of textures in every bite. It’s simple to put together and works really well for breakfast or a snack.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This banana coffee cake is great because it has a really soft texture from the bananas and a nice cinnamon flavor throughout. The filling layer adds a little extra sweetness in the middle, and the crumble on top gives it a bit of texture so it’s not just a soft cake all the way through. I also like that it uses basic ingredients and doesn’t take much effort, but still feels like something a little more than regular banana bread.

What You Will Need

You will need ripe bananas, which are the main flavor in the cake and help keep it soft and moist as it bakes. The riper they are, the better the flavor will be.

Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the batter, while brown sugar is used in the filling and crumble to add a slightly deeper flavor. Butter is used in both the crumble and the batter, giving the cake richness and helping create that crumbly topping.

An egg helps bind everything together so the cake holds its shape when baked. All-purpose flour is used throughout the recipe to give structure to the cake, filling, and crumble.

Cinnamon is used in every layer and gives the cake its warm flavor. Baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise properly, while salt balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.

Milk adds moisture to the batter, and apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help create a soft texture. A little vanilla extract adds extra flavor and rounds everything out.

Ingredients

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

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

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)

How to Make Banana Coffee Cake

Start by lining an 8×8 inch metal pan with parchment paper and heating your oven to 325°F so it’s ready when the batter is done.

To make the filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and mix everything together until evenly combined. Set this aside while you work on the rest of the recipe.

For the crumble topping, add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Use a fork to mash everything together until it forms a crumbly mixture that holds together when pressed. Keep mixing until there are no dry bits left and everything is worked into the butter, then set it aside.

In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork until they are mostly smooth and any large lumps are broken down. Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter to the bananas and whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth.

Add the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the bowl and stir until the batter is about halfway mixed. In a separate small bowl whisk together the milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract, then slowly pour this into the batter while stirring. Mix just until everything is combined.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly so it reaches all the corners. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the batter, then add the remaining batter on top, spreading it gently so it covers the filling layer.

Take the crumble topping and break it up if needed, then sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake so the surface is covered.

Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before slicing so it holds its shape properly.

If you want, you can dust the top with powdered sugar before serving

More Coffee Cake Recipes

• Sour Cream Coffee Cake 
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Cinnamon Coffee Cake
•  Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake