Toasty Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake

This soft and fluffy brown butter banana coffee cake is one of my favorites for brunch or a snack. It has brown butter, sour cream banana cake, a swirl of cinnamon sugar, and a buttery cinnamon streusel top. This cake is decadent, not-too-sweet, and the absolute best with a cup of coffee!

I have some personal news. In my mission to brown butter just about everything, I have now moved on to phase ‘banana’. That means banana muffins, cookie butter banana bread, and pancakes have all been turned into caramel-y, toasty goodness.

And so, of course, it only made sense that in the midst of January, I would turn cake into breakfast and add a good dose of brown butter, bananas, and cinnamon. Because we all need something to snack on while it’s blizzard-ing outside, yeah?

I’ve been making a version of this cake ever since I was in pastry school and it’s a forever favorite around here. This cake is best eaten with your fingers, enjoying bite by bite while sipping a cup of hot coffee, chatting with friends, and wearing cozy pajamas. You need this scenario in your life, ok?

The shopping list

• Brown sugar – this will add a deep toffee flavor to the cake and streusel. I use dark brown but light brown is good too.
• Cinnamon – and lots of it! It’s a staple in all coffee cake recipes and tastes so good with the buttery streusel and bananas.
• Bananas – choose bananas that are over-ripe with brown and black streaks. This will add moisture and lots of banana flavor.
• Unsalted butter – you’ll need some for the streusel which we’ll melt and some for the cake which we’ll brown.
• All-purpose flour – we’re making homemade cake flour (more on this later) to make this cake nice and fluffy! You can also just use cake flour if you have it on hand.
• Cornstarch – this is what we’ll use to make homemade cake flour.
• Vanilla extract – to add extra flavor and compliment the cinnamon and bananas.
• Sour cream – for a little tang. A classic coffee cake ingredient!
• Whole milk – it must be whole or it’ll affect the texture of the cake.
• Baking basics – Kosher salt, baking powder, white sugar, and eggs.

Let’s make this cake

We’ll make this recipe in three parts. The swirl, the streusel, and the cake. But all of the steps are super easy and make for the best coffee cake. Let’s talk about it!

Cinnamon swirl

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon until it’s smooth and clump-free.

Cinnamon streusel

1. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Next, add the melted butter to the brown sugar-flour mixture.
3. Using a fork, mix everything together until you have a crumble.

Banana cake

1. To make the cake, start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Then, mash the bananas until they’re very smooth. Set aside.
2. Next, brown the butter over medium heat until it’s toasty. Add it to a mixing bowl to cool for a few minutes.
3. Then, mix in the brown and white sugars. The mixture will be a bit sandy. Stir in the vanilla extract and eggs until the mixture is light and thick.

Use ripe bananas with brown and black streaks for moisture and flavor. This is the perfect recipe for using up over-ripe bananas.

4. Next, add the sour cream and mashed bananas until smooth.
5. Then, mix in the flour mixture and milk in 2 batches.

Assemble & bake

1. Spread half of the batter into a prepared 8×8” pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top and then spread the remaining batter over the top. Use a skewer to lightly swirl the batter and cinnamon-sugar.
2. Finish by crumbling the streusel over the top of the cake.
3. Lastly, bake the cake at 350°F for about 1 hour, just until it’s cooked through. Then, cool for 20-30 minutes, slice, and enjoy!

Carefully spread the second layer of batter over the cinnamon-sugar. It doesn’t have to be perfect but you also don’t want it to all mix together!

Or, make muffins instead

I haven’t tried this recipe in muffin-form but I’m sure it would work great! Just divide half the batter between muffin liners, sprinkle with some cinnamon-sugar, add the rest of the batter, lightly swirl, and finish with a bit of streusel. Bake at 350°F, checking for doneness at 16 minutes.

A few things to note

• This cake is developed for high altitude (4,500 feet). If you live at sea-level, try 2 teaspoons of baking powder. I have not yet tested this recipe at sea-level but will update the recipe once I do.
• Measure the flour properly to keep the cake from being dry. I fluff the flour with a whisk or fork, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off without packing the flour in.
• Use room temperature ingredients (like eggs, sour cream, and milk) so the batter mixes evenly. 10-15 minutes on the counter will do it.
• Don’t over-bake the cake or it will get dry. The cake is done when it no longer jiggles in the center and an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs.

Variations & add-ins

To keep this recipe from being too-sweet, I chose not to add icing, but I still think it would be delicious! Here’s a few ways you can elevate this cake even more:

• Dust some powdered sugar over the top of the cake.
• Drizzle some brown butter icing over the top.
• Add toasted chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel.
• Replace the cinnamon with a bit of cardamom, nutmeg, or other warm spices.

Store, freeze, & make-ahead tips

Store leftover coffee cake in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also leave it in the pan and just cover it with plastic wrap or tin foil.

To freeze the coffee cake, wrap individual slices in parchment and place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, unwrap the slices and let them come to room temperature for at least an hour.

For a make-ahead situation, I would just bake the cake the night before. It will still be moist the next day and the flavors will have time to develop!

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

---