This banana coffee cake features a cinnamon swirl through the center and a buttery cinnamon streusel on top. Made with sour cream for extra moisture and a tender crumb, this easy coffee cake requires no mixer—just a few bowls and a whisk. It’s a perfect companion to a morning or afternoon cup of coffee, and it’s a great way to use up ripe bananas.
Fun fact: coffee cake traditionally doesn’t contain coffee. It was created to be served alongside coffee, not baked with it. This banana coffee cake is adapted from a favorite banana bundt cake and after extensive testing the cinnamon filling and streusel were perfected. A small amount of cocoa powder darkens the filling so the swirl is visible when you slice the cake, which is part of the delight.
The streusel was adjusted to be slightly crunchy without falling apart when sliced—adding a touch more melted butter keeps the topping tender yet intact.
If you have more ripe bananas to use up, other tried-and-true options include banana cake with chocolate frosting, banana cake with peanut butter frosting, or super moist chocolate chunk banana bread.
Testing and Re-testing This Cake
This banana coffee cake underwent many rounds of testing to balance banana flavor with a classic coffee cake texture. Two elements received the most attention:
- Filling: Early versions blended into the cake because the banana and spices darkened the batter. A small dash of cocoa powder gives the filling contrast without adding chocolate flavor. One teaspoon proved to be the ideal amount.
- Streusel Topping: The goal was a topping that provided some crunch but didn’t collapse when the cake was sliced. Increasing the melted butter and sugar while keeping the flour the same produced a slightly crunchy, cohesive streusel.
Grab Your Ingredients
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots—easier to mash and sweeter in flavor.
- Sour Cream: Adds tang and keeps the cake moist and tender; full-fat works best.
- Cocoa Powder: A small amount in the filling deepens the color so the cinnamon swirl is visible without lending a chocolate taste.
Let’s Make This Recipe
- Step 1: Whisk the cinnamon filling ingredients together and set aside.
- Step 2: Melt the butter for the streusel, mix with the remaining streusel ingredients, and chill until firm. If it clumps, break it apart before topping the cake.
- Step 3: Melt the butter in a large bowl and whisk in the mashed bananas until combined.
- Step 4: Whisk in the sugars, then add sour cream, vanilla, and eggs. The batter will be slightly lumpy due to the banana—this is normal.
- Step 5: Add the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined—stop when no streaks of flour remain.
- Step 6: Pour half of the batter into an 8×8-inch pan lined with an overhanging parchment sling. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the batter, then add the remaining batter and top with the chilled streusel. Bake until a toothpick comes out with little to no crumbs.
Top Tips from My Kitchen
- Streusel: If the streusel clumps in the fridge, break it apart with a fork or your hands before sprinkling over the cake.
- Weigh Ingredients: For best results and consistent baking, use a kitchen scale and measure by grams when possible.
- Line the Pan: Use parchment that overhangs on two sides to create a sling so you can lift the cake from the pan easily after it cools.
- Baking Time: This is a relatively thick cake and oven accuracy varies. Start checking at the minimum time, then add a few extra minutes as needed. Allow the cake to rest in the pan for about 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
More Recipes to Use Ripe Bananas
Brown Butter Cinnamon Banana Bread with Pecans (One Bowl)-
Banana Coffee Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
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Banana Mini Muffins
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Bakery Style Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
Made This Recipe?
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Easy Banana Coffee Cake with Sour Cream
Ella Gilbert
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Kitchen scales (recommended)
- 2 small bowls
- 1 large bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Cinnamon Streusel
- ¾ cup (90 grams) flour
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) butter, melted
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
Banana Cake
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (250 grams) mashed bananas
- ½ cup (104 grams) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 grams) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Whisk the filling ingredients together: ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder. Set aside.
- For the streusel, melt the butter and combine with ¾ cup flour, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ tablespoon cinnamon. Chill until firm; break into small pieces before using.
- Melt ½ cup unsalted butter in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup mashed bananas.
- Add ½ cup light brown sugar and ¼ cup white sugar; whisk for 1 minute.
- Whisk in 2 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until nearly smooth; small lumps from the banana are fine.
- Fold in the dry ingredients: 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Mix until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the cinnamon filling evenly over it, then spread the remaining batter on top.
- Break the chilled streusel into pieces and scatter evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift out using the parchment sling and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
These recipes are tested using metric weights. Using a kitchen scale yields the most consistent results. US cup conversions are provided but the recipe was developed with gram measurements.
Room temperature: For best results, bring ingredients to room temperature before starting—about 1–2 hours.
Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount called for. (For reference, 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt ≈ ½ teaspoon fine salt; different kosher salts vary in salinity.)
Sour cream: Full-fat yogurt can be substituted for sour cream if needed; avoid low-fat or nonfat swaps to preserve texture.
Storage: Store the cake wrapped tightly or in an airtight container. It will keep up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week refrigerated.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.