Moist Banana Coffee Cake Recipe
Moist banana coffee cake topped with a buttery brown butter crumble and finished with a sweet brown butter glaze. This banana bread coffee cake is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas and makes an easy breakfast or brunch treat to enjoy with your morning coffee.
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My husband, who is usually a banana bread hater, actually said this banana coffee cake was good—which says a lot! The cake is incredibly moist, buttery, and packed with natural banana flavor. The brown butter crumble adds a delicious buttery crunch, while the brown butter glaze brings everything together.
Unlike traditional banana bread, this recipe has a soft, dense cake texture that feels more like a classic coffee cake. And there is no cinnamon in the banana cake itself. I love leaving the cinnamon out because it allows the natural banana and brown butter flavors to shine. The result is a banana coffee cake that tastes completely different from your typical loaf of classic banana bread.
If your looking for another banana bread recipe make sure to try my whole wheat banana bread and my miso banana bread recipe.
Why You'll love this Banana Coffee Cake:
- It's a great way to use ripe bananas. If you have a few overripe bananas sitting on your counter, this is the perfect recipe to make.
- It's incredibly moist. The mashed bananas give this coffee cake a soft, tender, and moist texture that stays delicious for days.
- The brown butter makes it extra special. Brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor to the cake, crumble, and glaze.
- It isn't overly sweet. The natural sweetness from the bananas pairs perfectly with the buttery crumble and powdered sugar glaze.
- It's perfect with coffee. This is exactly the kind of easy breakfast cake I want sitting next to a warm cup of coffee in the morning.
- Easy banana coffee cake- No special equipment is needed, no stand mixer just a fork and whisk.
Banana Coffee Cake Ingredients:
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates a sturdy but tender cake.
- Baking Powder: Helps the coffee cake rise and gives it a soft texture.
- Baking Soda: Works with the ingredients to help the cake rise and brown.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the banana and brown butter flavors.
- Sugar: Provides sweetness, extra moisture
- Butter: Browned butter gives the banana cake a rich, nutty flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together while adding richness. I always use large egg.
- Bananas: Use ripe or overripe bananas for the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Buttermilk: This is one of my favorite ingredients for making a moist cake. The acidity in buttermilk helps create a tender crumb while adding a subtle tang that balances the sweetness of the bananas and brown butter.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds another layer of flavor to the banana cake.
Crumble topping
- Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Brown Butter
Vanilla brown butter glaze
- Brown Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
The brown butter glaze is optional, but I highly recommend adding it. It gives the coffee cake a sweet, creamy finish and adds even more brown butter flavor. You can also use powdered sugar too!
Full recipe card with measurements are listed below.
Let's Bake Banana Coffee Cake:
Brown the Butter
Start by browning the butter. Add all of the butter to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. The butter will melt, foam, and begin to sizzle.
As it cooks, occasionally scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula. This helps keep the milk solids from sticking and burning.
Once the butter develops a golden brown color and the sizzling begins to stop, remove it from the heat. Let the brown butter cool until it is warm or cool enough to use in the batter.
Make the Banana Coffee Cake Batter
In a large bowl add the bananas and mash them with a fork and then add the cooled brown butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Mix until everything is well combined.
Add the baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix just until the batter comes together. Be careful not to overmix the batter stop once there are no visible pockets of dry flour.
Transfer the banana cake batter to an 8x8-inch square pan lined with parchment paper.
Make the Brown Butter Crumble
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and warm brown butter.
Mix until the ingredients form a dry, crumbly mixture. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the banana cake batter.
Bake the Banana Coffee Cake
Bake the coffee cake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
The exact baking time can vary depending on your oven and pan, so begin checking around the 40-minute mark.
Make the Brown Butter Glaze
While the banana coffee cake is baking, make the brown butter glaze.
Add the brown butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream to a small bowl. Mix until smooth and combined.
If the glaze is too thick, add a little more heavy cream until you reach your desired consistency.
The glaze is completely optional. You can also skip it and dust the cooled coffee cake with powdered sugar.
Cool and Glaze
Remove the banana coffee cake from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool.
Once the cake is warm but no longer hot, drizzle the brown butter glaze over the top. The warmth of the cake helps the glaze spread beautifully over the crumble.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Baker's Tips
Measure flour with a scale, too much flour can cause a really dry cake
mix until the ingredients are just mixed to avoid overmixing
baking time: My oven isn't the same as yours, so when it states 40 to 50 minutes your oven might take less or a lot more.
What if my bananas aren't ripe?
Don't have perfectly ripe bananas? You can slowly roast them in the oven to soften them and bring out their natural sweetness.
Place the bananas on a baking sheet and roast them at 400°F for 10–15 minutes, or until they become soft. I like to look around the banana as it roasts and watch for liquid or sugar crystals forming. Once the bananas are soft and fragrant, let them cool before using them in the recipe.
Do I have to use cinnamon?
No! The cinnamon is only used in the crumble topping. I intentionally leave cinnamon out of the banana cake because I want the natural banana and brown butter flavors to shine.
If you love cinnamon banana bread, you can certainly add some to the cake batter, but I recommend trying it without cinnamon first.
Can I skip the brown butter vanilla glaze?
Absolutely. The banana coffee cake is delicious on its own with the brown butter crumble. You can also dust the finished cake with powdered sugar instead.
How to Store Banana Bread Coffee Cake
Store the banana bread coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. For longer storage, refrigerate the cake and bring it to room temperature before serving.
Moist Banana Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Browned Butter
- 10 ounces butter This is to be browned, 2 ½ sticks butter
Banana Coffee Cake
- 1½ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 8 tablespoon Butter
- 1 large Eggs
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 medium- large Ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Brown Butter Crumble
- ¾ cup All-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 6 tablespoon Brown butter
Brown Butter Glaze
- 3 tablespoon Brown butter
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon Heavy cream
Instructions
Brown the Butter
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt, foam, and begin to sizzle.
- As it cooks, occasionally scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to keep the milk solids from sticking. Continue cooking until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Once the sizzling begins to slow down, remove it from the heat.
- Set the brown butter aside and let it cool until warm. You will use it for the cake, crumble, and glaze.
Make the Banana Cake Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang so the cake is easy to remove.
- In a large bowl add the bananas and mash them with a fork and then add the cooled brown butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour and gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter should be thick and there should be no visible pockets of dry flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Make the Brown Butter Crumble
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and warm brown butter.
- Mix with a fork or your hands until the mixture forms small, crumbly pieces. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the banana cake batter.
Bake
- Place the coffee cake in the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes.
- Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
Make the Brown Butter Glaze
- While the cake bakes, combine the brown butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream in a small bowl.
- Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a small amount of heavy cream at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Glaze and Serve
- Let the coffee cake cool until it is warm but not hot. Drizzle the brown butter glaze over the crumble topping.
- Slice the banana bread coffee cake and serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy with a cup of coffee!
