Banana crumb cake teeters the line between being a decadent snack, a mouthwatering dessert, or a fun twist to breakfast during the week. This crumb cake made with ripe bananas is moist, fluffy, and has loads of ripe banana flavor throughout. Topped with that classic streusel topping, this is the ultimate snack cake of your baking dreams.
Crumb cakes are such a fun little treat to yourself because you can have it any time of the day. It's also not a true cake, but I can't get enough of them like with my apple cinnamon crumb cake or my classic pumpkin crumb cake. They're easy recipes to dabble in when learning how to bake (and make a proper streusel topping).
TL; DR Summary - Banana Crumb Cake
- 👩🏼🍳 Bake Level - Easy/Beginner
- ⏱️ Bake Time - 30-35 minutes
- 📖 Dietary Info - Dairy, gluten, egg, sugar
- 😋 Taste - Buttery, banana, sweet, cinnamon
- 💖 Why You'll Love - This is a very versatile recipe that takes the form of a breakfast, a snack, AND a dessert. Banana crumb cake is great to make on the weekend and snack on it throughout the week.
- 🍽️ Best Paired With: You can easily serve this crumb cake along with a breakfast spread of vanilla chia pudding, a hearty high protein mudslide mocktail shake, or an easy apple cinnamon baked oatmeal.
Summarize this recipe and save it on:
Jump to:
Tried and True Tips and Key Reminders
- Be gentle when making the batter. I've tested my coffee cake recipe several times, and had to discard or retry a few of those tests because I severely over-mixed the batter. Over-mixing works the gluten too much causing a gummy texture and loss of flavor.
- Use room temperature ingredients like eggs and milk so that it blends easier together and doesn't clump.
- Mash the bananas in its own banana peel before adding to the bowl as this is a more efficient way of mashing the bananas, then add it to the bowl and mix together with the eggs first, THEN add in the sugar and other ingredients. I've found that this process yields very fluffy cake texture.
The Main Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Bananas - Mashed bananas add natural sweetness, moisture, and the classic banana flavor that defines the cake.
- Eggs - Eggs help bind the ingredients together and give the cake structure as it bakes.
- Granulated Sugar - Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and helps create a soft, tender crumb.
- Light Brown Sugar - Light brown sugar adds moisture and a light caramel flavor that pairs well with banana.
- Milk - Milk adds moisture and helps create a smooth batter for an even texture.
- Avocado Oil - Avocado oil adds fat to keep the cake moist and tender without overpowering the flavor.
- All Purpose Flour - Flour provides the main structure of the cake and gives it body.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder - These leavening agents help the cake rise and create a light texture.
- Salt - Salt balances the sweetness and helps bring out the flavor of the bananas.
For the crumb topping:
- Cane and Brown Sugar: both sugars combine to make the crumb topping sweet and give it a little moisture.
- Flour: the flour is important to make the classic crumb texture.
- Butter: melted, salted butter is perfect for this crumb topping.
- Cinnamon: any type of cinnamon will do really, so whatever you have on hand, use it!
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Recipe Swaps and Substitutions
- Sugar: Stick to the cane sugar for the crumb cake, but for the crumb topping, you can swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar. I do not recommend coconut sugar for the base or cake batter.
- Flour: I would recommend using a 1:1 gluten free flour like Bob's Red Mill or Primal Palate. I have not tested with other flours so I do not recommend using anything else.
- Butter: I have not tested with a dairy free butter, but I have heard great things about Miyokos dairy-free butter.
How to make a banana crumb cake recipe
Step 1: In a large bowl, mash the two bananas using a fork and crack in the two eggs, then whisk until pale and fluffy.
Step 2: To the eggs and mashed banana, pour in the oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Whisk the wet ingredients together until the oil and sugars are well blended.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350º. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold in with a spatula to incorporate the flour until just combined. Let the batter sit on the counter for 20 minutes, then pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
Step 4: Mix together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and flour until it forms a crumbly mixture. Chill in the fridge for up to 30 minutes, then once the batter is done resting, cover the top of the crumb cake and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Mistakes I've Made (to avoid!)
- Do NOT keep mixing once all of the flour is fully incorporated. The over mixing causes the texture to become dense, chewy, gummy, and very unappetizing.
- Don't skip cooling the crumb topping and add the crumb topping directly to the banana cake mixture. The crumb texture needs to set and harden as the melted butter will help form those classic crumbs and large pieces that go on top of the cake. If added directly after mixing it runs the risk of melting and sinking.
Crumb Cake with Banana FAQs
You can definitely use bananas that are not overly ripe, however, you might need to add more sugar to sweeten up the cake and the banana flavor. The overripe bananas help give the cake a signature sweet banana flavor and texture.
Add any leftover cake to an airtight container and store at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days. If you do want to refrigerate this, take the cake out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yes! You can wrap the cake in plastic food wrap and add to a plastic food storage bag, then store in the fridge for up to two months.
Other add ins for this crumb cake include chopped nuts like I do with my pecan brown butter blondies. You can also throw in some chocolate chips and pretend its my one bowl chocolate chip banana bread.
Other cake style recipes you'll enjoy:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Banana Crumb Cake
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- spatula
- 8x8 or 9x9 Pan
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 small bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g light brown sugar ½ cup
- 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- ½ cup avocado oil 80mL
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 256 g AP flour 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the two bananas using a fork and crack in the two eggs, then whisk until pale and fluffy.
- To the eggs and mashed banana, pour in the oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Whisk the wet ingredients together until the oil and sugars are well blended.
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold in with a spatula to incorporate the flour until just combined. Let the batter sit on the counter for 20 minutes, then pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
- Mix together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and flour until it forms a crumbly mixture. Chill in the fridge for up to 30 minutes, then once the batter is done resting, cover the top of the crumb cake and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Leave a Reply