Cinnamon Streusel Banana Coffee Cake

What do you get when you combine classic coffee cake with banana bread? The best cinnamon streusel banana coffee cake! This dessert is the best of both worlds with a moist crumb, cinnamon swirl, and generous amount of streusel.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Bananas: Ripe bananas are essential for providing natural sweetness, moisture, and flavor to the cake. They contribute to the cake's soft texture and rich taste. The riper the bananas, the better, as they enhance the cake's overall sweetness and flavor profile.
• Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and a slight tang to the cake, helping to keep it tender. It also contributes to the cake's structure and richness, acting as a partial substitute for fat.
• Cinnamon: Adds warmth and a sweet-spicy flavor that complements the bananas beautifully.
• Brown sugar: Contributes moisture and a deeper, caramel-like flavor to the cinnamon filling.
• Cocoa powder: Darkens the color of the cinnamon filling without adding a strong flavor. You can omit it if you like.
• Powdered sugar: Helps create a light and fluffy streusel.

Substitutions and variations

• Dairy: You can replace Greek yogurt with sour cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk.
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
• Other flavors: Feel free to add chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to the batter for added texture and flavor.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make streusel

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease it to prevent sticking. I also like to clip the paper to the pan to ensure it stays in place.

Begin by preparing the streusel topping. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use your fingers or two forks to achieve the same texture. Once combined, add vanilla extract and set the streusel aside.

Step 2: Prepare cinnamon filling

Next, prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a small bowl until well combined. This mixture will add a delightful sweetness and depth of flavor to the cake.

Feel free to make both the streusel and cinnamon filling the day before. Store the streusel in the fridge and the cinnamon filling at room temperature.

Step 3: Make cake batter

Now, move on to the banana coffee cake batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about three minutes. You’ll know it’s properly creamed when it appears pale in color and has doubled in volume.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, incorporate the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. For the best results, mash the bananas with a fork or a potato masher until smooth, leaving some small lumps for texture.

In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until combined to avoid overmixing.

Step 4: Assemble cake and bake

Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling evenly over the batter, then add the remaining cake batter on top, smoothing it out with a spatula.

Finally, sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake batter. It's going to look like a lot of streusel but remember, this recipe is very generous with the topping.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can also let it cool completely and enjoy the cinnamon streusel banana coffee cake at room temperature.

I was counting down the minutes while this cake was in the oven because the smell alone was so enticing. As soon as it slightly cooled, I grabbed a fork and dug in. Guys? This cake is epic. It has everything I want and more - a generous amount of streusel topping, moist cake with great banana flavor and that cinnamon swirl. A great success if I do say so myself!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can make the cinnamon filling and streusel ahead of time.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Cinnamon Streusel Banana Coffee Cake

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Streusel

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (170 grams)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (30 grams)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small chunks (127 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Cinnamon filling

• ½ cup brown sugar (100 grams)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cocoa powder

Banana coffee cake

• ½ cup butter, softened at room temperature (113 grams)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed (370 grams)
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt (56 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease.
• Make streusel. Combine flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and vanilla and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into small pieces. Alternatively, use your hands or two forks. Set aside.
• Make cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Stir until well combined.
• Prepare coffee cake. Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time followed by mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla.
• Combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to cake batter, stirring just until combined.
• Pour half of the cake batter to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle cinnamon filling on top followed by the remaining cake batter. Sprinkle streusel on top in an even layer. Bake cake for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use very ripe bananas that are mostly brown and covered with spots and smell fragrant. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your cake will be.

The cinnamon filling and streusel can be prepared the day before.