Monday, September 8, 2025

Banana crumb coffee cake


Crumb Layers
▢½ cup cold unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), cut into small cubes, I use vegan butter to keep this dairy-free (i used 1 cup)
▢1 cup all purpose flour (gradually add more by the tablespoon if needed)
▢1 cup packed light brown sugar
▢½ cup granulated sugar
▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cake
▢2 cups all-purpose flour
▢3 teaspoons baking powder
▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢1 teaspoon salt
▢3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
▢½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, again, use vegan butter for dairy-free option
▢1 cup granulated sugar
▢2 large eggs
▢1 teaspoon vanilla
▢1 cup almond milk (you can also use 1%, 2%, whole milk, or even buttermilk)
Glaze (optional)
▢1 cup powdered sugar
▢1-2 tablespoons almond milk

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with butter or cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, use your hands or two forks to crumble together the cold butter cubes, flour, sugars, and cinnamon until the mixture resembles a crumbly topping. Set aside the crumb mixture. 
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, mix softened butter on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix for another minute, until well incorporated. Then add the eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and mix just until ingredients are incorporated (do not overmix!) 
Turn the mixer down to low, and alternate mixing in milk and flour until all ingredients are combined.
Pour half of the cake mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1/3 – 1/4 of the crumb mixture. Then pour the remaining cake mixture on top of that layer and finally, top evenly with the remaining crumb topping.
Bake at 350º for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 
To make the optional glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add more milk as needed until you get the glaze consistency you prefer. Set aside.
Cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before drizzling the glaze over the top, slicing, and serving.