Banana Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

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Banana Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping is the perfect crumb cake for your next brunch. It’s super simple to make, and the crumbly topping takes it to a whole new level. Trust me, your family and friends will be so pleased!

Some stacked banana coffee cake on a wooden cake stand.

Other favorite brunch recipes include Overnight Omelette Breakfast Casserole, some Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes, and the best Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole!

Banana Crumble Cake

Right behind Maple Pecan Scones and Blueberry Muffins, my heart belongs to crumb cakes. Forget the rich chocolate desserts (although c’mon, those are good too) and the trifles, I love a good crumbly coffee cake.

This recipe is quite simple. It starts with a recipe for banana cake and ends with a streusel topping. Both are excellent, and together…they are out of this world!

Why This Recipe Works:

Simple to make. This recipe can be made in two bowls using basic ingredients. It’s classic and simple, but is elevated with that crumb topping.
Uses up over-ripe fruit. Do you have an excess of over-ripe bananas and are tired of smoothies? Well, this is your answer!
The tastiest coffee cake! Moist in the center and crumbly on top is exactly what I’m looking for in a great coffee cake. Made with all brown sugar, this cake really is the BEST (and I’m not just saying that)! 😀
Makes great leftovers. Place leftover crumble cake in an airtight container and keep on your counter for several days. Or if you’re like me, send leftovers to your hubby’s work!

My hand holding up a thick piece of coffee cake.

Ingredients Used:

Butter – Unsalted butter – melted and slightly cooled.
Bananas – Use three over-ripe bananas, and use a hand mixer to puree.
Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own by combining milk with a splash of vinegar.
Egg – Just one egg.
Vanilla – I love Watkin’s Vanilla!
Sugar – All brown sugar is used for this recipe.
Flour – All-purpose flour.
Baking staples – Baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon
Streusel Topping Ingredients – Flour, brown sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, and unsalted butter.

Closeup on nine pieces of thick banana cake with streusel topping.

How to make Banana Coffee Cake:

Step 1
Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8×8 pan (linked below) with parchment paper. No need to spray the pan. Simply cut two large pieces of parchment paper to fit and lay them perpendicular in the pan.

Step 2
Prep bananas. Puree the bananas with a hand mixer, in a small mixing bowl. I try to get a majority of the lumps out, but a few are ok.

Some over-ripe bananas on a white background.

A bowl of beaten bananas with beaters inside.

Step 3
Combine the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the pureed bananas, melted and slightly cooled butter, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.

Step 4
Add dry ingredients. To the mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Gently stir until just combined. A few lumps of flour are fine.

Step 5
Make the streusel topping. Combine the streusel ingredients in a separate bowl, and then use your fingers to squeeze the butter into the mixture.

Step 6
Assemble cake. Pour the banana cake batter into the prepared pan, and smooth to all sides of the pan. Then use your hands to sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.

A bowl of the streusel topping ingredients.

Step 7
Bake. Bake the banana coffee cake for approximately 40-45 minutes or until it is done in the center. This may take longer than you expect as the cake is very thick. (Test with a toothpick for doneness.)

Step 8
Cool. After removing the cake from the oven, let it sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then carefully remove it using the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan. Set it on top of the cooling racks and let it continue to cool, if desired.

Step 9
Serve. This is best served slightly warm, or at room temperature, with a cup of coffee!

We like to keep our cold brew coffee on hand AT ALL TIMES. I’ve even started making it all year long. Because COFFEE is life! Want an interesting latte instead? Try a delicious Creamy Egg Nog Latte or a Cozy Caramel Latte!

The banana coffee cake on a cooling rack.

Overhead shot of some sliced banana coffee cake.

Storing and Freezing:

Store leftover banana coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
To freeze, wrap tightly in cling wrap and place cake in freezer bag. This coffee cake freezes well for up to three months.

Recipe FAQs:

What is the difference between cake and coffee cake?

Regular cake is normally made with an icing of some sort while coffee cake is usually made with a crumbly streusel topping.

Why is it called coffee cake?

Coffee Cake is called this because it goes great with a cup of coffee (or a latte, in my case), not because it has coffee in it.

Is coffee cake the same thing as crumble cake?

These two are similar but crumb cake usually has a thicker crumb topping than a coffee cake (but not always).

How do you tell when a coffee cake is done?

A coffee cake is done when a toothpick, when inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out mostly clean. THIS cake is pretty thick, so it will take longer than expected.

Other delicious banana recipes to try next:

Apple Pie Banana Bundt Cake – A lovely mash-up of apple pie and banana cake!
Easy Banana Bread – Norma Jean’s recipe, and it’s beyond moist (and delicious every time).
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins – Banana with a peanut butter twist!
Banana Donuts – Simple with the best caramel icing.

My hand reaching for a piece of banana cake.

Kitchen Tools I used for this recipe:

USA 8×8 Pans – A square pan used to bake this coffee cake.
Parchment Paper Baking Sheets – Makes it super easy to remove the cake from the pan.
Hand Mixer – Used to puree the bananas.
Glass Mixing Bowls – For mixing the cake and the streusel.

xoxo ~Sue