Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake
This brown butter banana coffee cake is the absolute best! With sour cream banana cake, a swirl of cinnamon-sugar, and buttery cinnamon streusel, it's great for breakfast, brunch, or a little snack. It's one of my favorite recipes to make for bachelorette breakfasts, brunch parties, or the holidays!Please note, this recipe was developed for high-altitude. Please see the notes for sea-level details.
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl
- 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
Brown Butter Banana Cake
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder*
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 large bananas, very ripe
- 10 tbs unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 c sour cream
- 2/3 c whole milk
Equipment
- 8x8'' metal baking pan
Instructions
Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl
- Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and clump-free. Set aside.
Cinnamon Streusel
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and a pinch of Kosher salt.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the flour-sugar mixture. Using the tines of a fork, stir everything together until you have a thick crumble. Set aside.
Brown Butter Banana Cake
- Line an 8x8'' metal baking pan with parchment paper. Then, grease with neutral oil or baking spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and Kosher salt to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Then, place the bananas on plate or in a shallow bowl. Use the tines of a fork to mash the bananas until they're very smooth. Set aside.
- To make the brown butter, melt the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, it will start to simmer and foam up. Stir constantly until the butter smells toasty and there are brown bits on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a large heat-proof mixing bowl. You should have a 1/2 cup of brown butter. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. (Watch how to brown butter here).
- Pour the sugar and brown sugar into the brown butter. Whisk together until you have a sandy mixture. Then, add the vanilla extract and eggs, whisking rapidly until the mixture is pale and thick, about 2-3 minutes. Next, stir in the sour cream and mashed bananas until it's thoroughly mixed.
- Whisk half of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, stirring just until the batter is combined. Don't over-whisk or the cake will be dense!
- Carefully spread about half of the batter in bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the batter. Then, carefully spread the remaining batter over the cinnamon-sugar. (This can get a little messy, but do your best! It doesn't have to be perfect). Use a skewer to gently swirl the batter and cinnamon-sugar (don't over-swirl). Crumble the streusel evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake the banana coffee cake, checking for doneness at 1 hour and up to 1 hour and 10 minutes. The cake is finished when it no longer jiggles and an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
*Please keep in mind, this cake is developed for high altitude. If you live at sea-level, try 2 teaspoons of baking powder. I have not tested this recipe at sea-level but will update the recipe once I do.
If you have cake flour, you can replace the all-purpose flour + cornstarch with 2 1/4 cups of cake flour.
Choose bananas that are very ripe and have brown and black streaks.
Measure the flour properly to prevent a dry cake! Fluff the flour with a whisk or fork, spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup, and level it off without packing the flour in.
Don't over-bake the cake or it will be dense and dry.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 527kcal, Carbohydrates: 78.6g, Protein: 6.4g, Fat: 21.8g, Saturated Fat: 13.2g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 291mg, Potassium: 311mg, Fiber: 2.1g, Sugar: 44.6g, Calcium: 113mg, Iron: 2mg
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