Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Coffee Cake

Say hello to your new favorite way to enjoy banana bread! This Banana Bread Coffee Cake is incredibly soft, fluffy and moist with a tender crumb that melts in your mouth. It has the perfect amount of banana flavor with a hint of spice and richness from sour cream. There's a buttery cinnamon crumble on top and an espresso glaze that makes it so special. The combination of coffee and banana is actually so delicious and I discovered this one morning while eating a banana as I was drinking my coffee. All of these flavors combined - chocolate, banana, sour cream, cinnamon and coffee - are so delicious that you won't be able to stop eating it! The crumb topping is generous and it melts into the batter just a bit so you get a beautiful contrast of soft and crunchy. Make this for your weekend brunch and snack on it all week (if it lasts that long). If you also want a great banana bread recipe, check out my Classic Banana Bread and my Best Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Easy to make - this recipe comes together quickly and uses basic pantry ingredients that you likely have on hand already.
• Soft and moist banana coffee cake - the cake is very moist and has such a soft crumb. It keeps well and stays soft at room temperature, and is even better warmed up slightly so the butter can soften.
• Fluffy texture - this cake bakes up nice an tall with a fluffy crumb.
• Perfectly sweet - the cake itself isn't overly sweet to compensate for the sweet crumb topping. It all works together perfectly.
• Cinnamon crumb topping - there's a thick cinnamon-spiced buttery brown sugar crumb topping that is crunchy and also soft underneath.
• Vanilla espresso glaze - this is optional, but I promise it is so worth it! The hint of coffee and cinnamon over the crumb adds another element of flavor that will ignite your tastebuds.

INGREDIENTS FOR BANANA BREAD COFFEE CAKE

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great for soft banana breads and coffee cakes. Do not pack it down when measuring or use a scale to get the right amount.
• Baking powder - you'll need equal amounts of baking powder and baking soda to help this batter rise.
• Baking soda - baking soda gives this cake golden crumb color and also reacts with the sour cream to help leaven the batter.
• Cinnamon - there's cinnamon in the cake and also in the crumb topping for lots of warm spice flavor that is so classic in coffee cake.

• Bananas - you'll need about 2 ripe bananas for this recipe. That equates to about 1 cup mashed banana. For me, this is usually 2 large bananas. I don't recommend using frozen bananas for the best taste, but it will still work. See my tips below in the FAQ section to read why.
• Butter - you can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe, and I really recommend salted butter because it adds so much flavor.
• Brown sugar - light or dark brown sugar works great in this recipe. It adds a lovely hint of molasses flavor and also keeps it extra moist.
• Sour cream - it add tanginess and rich dairy notes to enhance the buttery flavor.
• Chocolate chips - a bit of chocolate is such a treat in this recipe. Chocolate and banana is a wonderful combination. You can use any kind, but I really like semisweet chocolate in this recipe.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD COFFEE CAKE

• STEP 1). Make the crumb topping. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix together until evenly blended. Add the soft butter and blend it in using your finger tips (you can also use a fork, but I find it works better and faster with my hands) until it is evenly combined and the mixture forms clumps. Cover the bowl and set it aside until needed so it doesn't dry out.
• STEP 2). Make the banana bread batter. Measure out banana. Mash banana so it is quite smooth and measure out 1 cup (237ml).
• STEP 3). Combine wet ingredients. Place mashed banana in a bowl and add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add eggs and whisk until evenly incorporated. Add melted butter, sour cream and vanilla extract and whisk until combined and smooth.
• STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 5). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and start folding them through gently.
• STEP 6). Fold in chocolate chips. Before it is all incorporated and a few streaks remain, add chocolate chips and fold them in.
• STEP 7). Assemble the cake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture evenly over top and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips over the crumble.
• STEP 8). Bake for 38-42 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack, cover with foil and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. The foil will help it steam slightly so that the crumbs soften just a touch but will still stay crunchy.
• STEP 9). Make the glaze. Combine powdered sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in milk one teaspoon at a time until it is a drizzling consistency. I like when it is runny but still opaque. Slice and enjoy!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Measure flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the batter can result in a dense cake. Bananas contain carbohydrates that will contribute to some of the structure of the loaf itself, so the batter will be naturally wet. Resist the urge to add more flour.
• Use the right amount of bananas. Bananas come in all different sizes... generally small medium and large. This recipe uses 2 medium sized bananas, and 1 medium banana (flesh only) weighs about 120g. So, that means after you peel your banana it should weigh about 120 grams. For this recipe you will need 240g of banana flesh.
• Mash the bananas very well. Mash the bananas to a smooth consistency. This will ensure you extract all of the sugars and starch so they incorporate into the batter to make it moist and with an even crumb texture.
• Do not over-mix - this is a rustic batter and doesn't need to be perfectly smooth to turn out wonderfully. Just gently fold the flour in until evenly incorporated so there aren't any large dry streaks, but no need to mix excessively. Over-mixing will lead to a drier, tougher crumb texture instead of soft and tender.
• Avoid frozen bananas if you can. I always prefer to make banana cakes with very ripe spotty bananas and not frozen bananas. That is because freezing destroys the cell structure of the banana so that a lot of water leaches out once they thaw. This water is free water and can cause a dense gummy layer to form at the bottom of the baked cake. Fresh bananas have their cell structures intact so that they can contribute better to the integrity of the cake.
• Steam the cake as it cools. This is one of my secret tricks. When the cake comes out of the oven, I cover it with foil to let the top steam a little. The crumbs are still crunchy on top, and then underneath they become soft and fudgy as they settle into the cake.

RECIPE FAQ

If you love baking with bananas, check out these recipes!

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Banana Bread Moist Chocolate Fudge Swirl Banana Muffins Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Muffins Double Chocolate Banana Bread Banana Oat Muffins Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins

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