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This Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake will be the shining star of any breakfast or brunch buffet. It comes together easily, no mixer needed!
I have to laugh at a conversation Scott and I had while I was working on this Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake.
More bananas?
This is how it went as we were driving home one evening from an event we attended:
"Could we stop at the grocery store?", I asked.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"It won't take long, I just have to pick up a few bananas".
"More bananas?!", he exclaimed. "Wow, we've gone through a mountain of bananas over the last two weeks!"
He was right, I worked on this Banana Coffee Cake like a mad scientist and there were more than a few renditions.
The final version is definitely a keeper and would be perfect for any breakfast or brunch buffet. This crumb-topped banana coffee cake would also make a lovely gift for a friend, neighbor, teacher, hairdresser, etc. Who wouldn't have one of these stashed away in the freezer for unexpected company? (Yes, it freezes well!)
No disappearing crumbs
Have you ever had a coffee cake "eat" all the lovely crumbles you sprinkle on top before baking? One last look before closing the oven door reveals a gorgeous crumb topping. Then when the timer goes off to signal the wonderful smelling cake is done, it's a huge shock. The crumbs have gone AWOL, with just a scatter still visible in the center of the coffee cake. If you've experienced this disappointing phenomenon, you're going to appreciate this Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake recipe.
The batter is baked for 30 minutes before the sweet, cinnamon-y walnut topping and a scatter of walnuts is added. Then it goes back in the oven until it's all golden and beautiful. You can stop there, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar or be over-the-top extravagant and add ribbons of delicious maple icing.
Oh, and the walnuts! They're treated with a super simple splash of oil and honey before baking which transforms them during their stint in the oven into golden, crunchy, caramelized bites of deliciousness. Pecans could be subbed for the walnuts with equally wonderful results.
The cake itself is moist, tender and loaded with delicious banana flavor.
So there you have it, another wonderful way to use up that seemingly perpetual supply of overripe bananas that congregate in the fruit bowl. Or, you might be like me and find yourself buying a mountain of bananas, just to make this delicious Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake over and over again. Either way, the results will be spectacular!
Café Tips for Making this Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake
- For the prettiest results, use a tube pan (also known as an angel food pan) to make this Banana Coffee Cake. A coffee cake pan would also work well. If you don't have either type of pan, this cake could also be made in two 9-inch baking (cake) pans. (Hint, hint - either of these pans would make a wonderful gift for someone who loves to bake.)
- Be sure to grease your pan(s) well. There's nothing more disappointing than a lovely cake that sticks to the pan. I like to use baking spray, which is a combination of flour and shortening. There are several companies that make this type of spray as well as lots of generic versions. I like Baker's Joy but have also used other brands with good success.
- Don't use green bananas in this recipe. You want bananas with lots of sugar spots (brown spots). Lots of grocery stores will actually have a little bin tucked away in some corner with over-ripe bananas that are for sale at a reduced price. Check with your store's produce manager on this.
- An easy way to mash bananas for baking? Place ripe bananas in a zip-lock bag. Seal the bag and squish, squish, squish. When the bananas are fairly lump-free, just snip off a bottom corner of the bag and squeeze the amount needed into a measuring cup.
- For a less sweet version of this banana coffee cake, feel free to omit the maple drizzle.
- This banana coffee cake keeps well, in fact, it seems to get even better! Just wrap it in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- I use a fork or a small whisk to drizzle the icing over the top of the cake. This is the fun part and doesn't take any expertise. It's just a random drizzle.
- For a delicious twist, swap 1 tablespoon of strong coffee for 1 tablespoon of the half and half in the maple drizzle. Scott liked that even better than the standard recipe!
- Although I call this a coffee cake, don't limit it to breakfast or brunch. It would also make a fabulous dessert, any time of day!
- If you're making this Banana Coffee Cake and want to freeze it for enjoying later, let it cool completely after baking. Then put it in the freezer uncovered for about an hour. Once it's nice and firm, you can pull it out and wrap it securely with plastic wrap or foil and not smush the cake.
- If you love coffee cake but don't have any bananas on hand and/or don't feel like running to the market, this Easy Overnight Coffee Cake is another super delicious crowd-pleaser!
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Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 6 tablespoons butter, very soft
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the walnuts:
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon mild-flavored oil, sunflower, grape seed, canola or vegetable oil all work well
- 2 teaspoons honey
For the cake batter:
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas, 3-4 bananas, depending on size
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup mild flavored oil, sunflower, grape seed, canola or vegetable oil all work well
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the maple drizzle:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons half & half, maybe more
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a tube pan or a coffee cake pan with baking spray. Rub the pan with a paper towel to ensure the spray coats all of the surface. Lightly spray again. Wrap the pan in heavy-duty foil or two thicknesses of regular foil. This will prevent the crust from getting too brown.
- Make the cinnamon crumb topping: combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl. Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and cook for 30 seconds on high power until partially melted. Add butter to flour mixture and stir with a fork until large clumps form. Refrigerate crumb topping till ready to use.
- For the walnuts, combine walnuts, oil and honey and stir well until the walnuts are well coated. Set aside.
- Whisk together bananas, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Add oil and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The oil will seem separated at first, just keep stirring till it's all incorporated.
- Sprinkle flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt over the top of the banana mixture. Stir just until all flour disappears. Scrape the bowl to make sure no flour remains.
- Transfer the batter (it will be fairly thin) to the prepared pan. Do not add the crumb mixture yet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to add the crumb mixture.
- Remove the crumb mixture from the refrigerator and stir with a fork, breaking up any large clumps With your hand, gently sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the coffee cake, breaking up any remaining large clumps. Sprinkle prepared walnuts over the top of the crumb mixture, gently tucking some of them into the empty spots. Use a light touch for this step as you don't want to compress the cake itself.
- Return to oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover the top of the pan lightly with a piece of foil during the last 10 minutes, if browning too much.
- Remove the foil and allow the coffee cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Invert onto a dinner plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack so that crumbs and walnuts are on top. Cool completely. Serve unadorned or drizzle in random ribbons with maple icing (see below).
- To make the maple drizzle, combine butter, brown sugar, half and half, maple syrup and vanilla in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir well then cook for another 30 seconds on high.
- Add powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cake in random ribbons.
Notes
Nutrition
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Do you freeze this with the crumb topping and it thaws ok?
Yes, it comes out great! ENJOY!
So, you wrap the outside of the pan with foil? Thank you!!
Yes, I do that to keep the bottom and sides from getting too brown. You can also put the pan on a sheet pan lined with foil. If it look like the color is good but the cake is not quite done, you can then pull up the foil around the pan.
So I made this cake today in a springform pan usi g the tin follil to line the outer permiter and bottom of cake pan. Baked it according to directions, adding in an extra fuve minutes as the benter seems to be nit set. Unfortunately, I realized that the center was all oil and although I tried to soak up the extra oil, there was still some left. I cut the center out and iced. Would you happen to know why the oil gathered in the center of the cake?
Hi Paula, I'm so sorry you had difficulty with this recipe. I'm not sure why the oil ended up in the center but, in order for this cake to bake properly, it needs to be baked in a tube or a bundt pan as the center just won't get done. One other option would be to divide the batter between 2 8 or 9-inch cake pans so that you would not be trying to bake such a deep cake in one pan (without a center opening)
would this recipe be okay for muffins?
Hi Carel, I think if would work but the muffins would be a little flat on the top. We really love these banana muffins: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/banana-crumb-muffins/
What’s the advantage of using oil for the cake batter?
Can unsalted butter be used instead?
Hi Patricia, that's a great question. Although I am a huge fan of butter, the oil in this recipe keeps the cake really moist. I have tried butter but it wasn't the same and, with all the flavor going on in this cake, you can't really taste the butter.
All that being said, if you really want to use butter, I would go with half and half - a ½ cup of oil and a ½ cup of butter.
Disclaimer - THIS WAS MY FAULT!!! Do yourself a favor and read the directions thoroughly - namely the amount of bananas to use. I think I got excited and skipped over "2 cups of mashed bananas" to read "3-4 bananas, depending on the size". Quick happy dance around the kitchen followed because I was getting rid of 3-4 bananas from the freezer. I looked at my stash (easily 8 bananas on hand!!!) and selected 4 medium sized bananas, peeled them, removed black spots and the strings and thought - perfect!!! The cake rose and came out of the oven beautifully, only to see within 2 minutes the center had completely collapsed!!! I was horrified as it was for our annual New Years weekend of 8 guests!!! So I did what any of our husbands/kids might do ("I just want a little bite - no one will notice!!!") and cut into it once cooled to check it. It was very wet, not under baked but very thick and dense at the center, and was a beautiful bake from about 2/3 outside, in - and tasted amazing!!! The nut mixture on top is delicious and because it adds enough sweetness for many (altho I confess to absolutely LOVE frosting/icing) I opted to not ice it. I am not a baker, obviously... but this is a winner and for next time, a lesson to READ the directions!!! Thank you Chris and Scott - another fabulous recipe!!!
Thanks, Leslie!
Looks great. Appreciate that it improves with age so no last minute prep for out of town guests. What size tube pan do you recommend?
Hi Jackie, I use this tube pan: https://amzn.to/3Uq7DPm
This looks so good ! It will be my next trial for sure !
I’ve tries quite a few of your sweets deserts and my family loved them all !
I’d loved to get the labels and box infos !
That's wonderful, Helene! We do not have labels for this recipe. Just leave a comment on each post you would like the labels for. Thanks!
I'm using an angel food cake pan and the final baking time is 15+ minutes longer than recipe states. I also removed the foil but cake tester still comes out wet. Any thoughts?
Hi MCM, every oven is different. It's always good to use an instant thermometer to test for doneness. The internal temp for this coffee cake should be 200-205˚F when it's done.
This cake looks so delicious! I can't wait to make it. 😊
Thanks, Sheila!
Can I substitute apples? Unfortunately, My problem isn’t an overabundance of bananas but apples instead. However this cake looks and sounds delish. Thoughts?
Hi Sue, I would have to test this recipe with apples to say for sure since the texture of each is so different.
Made this recipe in a bundt pan. It is delicious! Made exactly as recipe called for except for the maple drizzle because the topping was sweet enough. Really liked the idea of mushing bananas in baggie. That will be my new go-to for smashing bananas. Can't wait for hubby to get home and taste it! Great recipe.
Thanks for sharing your results, Mrs. Miller!
Hi Renee, I haven't tested this recipe in a 13x9 pan so I can't give you exact instructions, but I don't see why you couldn't do that. I would surmise that the baking time will be shorter. I would probably add the topping at around 20-25 minutes and then check the cake again in 10 minutes and every 5 minutes after that until it is done. If you use an instant thermometer the temperature should be between 205 and 210˚F.
This came looks and sounds delicious, and can't wait to try it. We are planning a holiday brunch, and I think this would be a great addition. One question, can this cake be baked in a 13x9 pan, and how would I adjust the time? Thank you
"I want that recipe!" was what I heard as I served this today, Christmas Eve, to my family. Another Cafe Sucre Farine favorite!
Haha! I love it! Thanks so much, Michelle, for taking the time to share your results at such a busy time of year. Merry Christmas!
Followed this to the letter. If you are in AUSTRALIA just self raising flour will do (minus the bicarbonate/baking Sosa’s). I also didn’t know you could use oil in cake; worked a treat. I made 2 cakes and they taste and look sensational. I will save this recipe for future. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks so much, Shello, for sharing your results! I'm so happy you enjoyed this!
I cut it in half and baked it in a 9 inch square pan on top of a sheet pan. Same temperature. I like old fashioned streusel coffee cakes where it’s layered and not just on top. So I took two thirds of the crumble and walnuts and poured two layers of cake spread crumble and walnuts with each layer then poured final cake. I held final third of walnuts and crumble in reserve and after 25 minutes of baking put on top. I tested it at 45 minutes but it was done at 50 minutes per toothpick. Per my family it’s delicious. It doesn’t need any glaze. Thanks. It’s a great banana recipe. I hate throwing away ripe bananas
Great idea, it sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing your results!! ❤️ Chris
How long do bake if using (2) 9 inch cake pans? And at what oven temp??
Hi Juanita, use the same temperature but add the crumb topping after 25 minutes.Then bake and check after 15 minutes to see if a toothpick comes out clean. It will probably take around 40-45 minutes.
I may end my mini vacation short in order to get back to my kitchen! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Your recipes are so wonderful.
This is called a coffee cake but there is no coffee in the recipe. I am quite confused. there is a suggestion for coffee in the drizzle, but the cake is repeatedly referred to as a coffee cake.
Hi Amy, you're right, that is confusing. Not sure where you're from but here in the U.S. we refer to a cake that would be served from breakfast or brunch as a "coffee cake". I guess the name probably came because they're nice to pair with a good cup of coffee. Sorry for the confusion.
Wow! Have you been living under a rock?? Just kidding!
The term coffee cake as I understand it, means a cake that goes well with coffee. You can have it as a continental breakfast as with coffee and juice or fresh fruit. Or perhaps as a dessert after dinner with a cup of coffee!
Hope this helps clarify. I’m going to grab myself a
Piece of cake now to have with my coffee.
Best wishes!
T
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to make! Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Big fan of your site and look forward to the emails with your yummy recipes. Thank you!
Thanks, Maria! I use salted, but either will work.
Made the cake tonight it was amazing. However, I was not sure about the maple drizzle the direction never mentioned the powdered sugar. I just mix all the ingredients and mix with the powdered sugar and poured over the cake.
Thanks so much, Gail. I've amended the recipe. I appreciate you letting me know.
Love the recipe!
The drizzle instructions do not include when to add the maple syrup or the vanilla.
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and tips you share!
Thanks, Kayc, I've added that!
question- would a bundt pan work?? Thanks. Waiting to make this when you answer.
Hi Brenda, you could use a bundt pan but the problem with a bundt is that the topping will be on the bottom of the cake, as you normally serve a bundt with the rounded side up. That being said, you could serve with the rounded side down but it might be a little tipsy.
This is a gorgeous recipe. There's not a single word in the title that doesn't make me drool!
Haha, thanks Paula!
Man, I'm sitting here eating boring'ole toast for breakfast when I could be having crazy delicious Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake! I don't make coffee cake often but the next time I do, I'm TOTALLY trying this recipe! It looks utterly to die for!! 🙂
Haha! I love it Christina! Hope you enjoy it!
Oh. Oh DARLING. This cake is everything I dream about!!! Your photos are incredibly enticing, too!
Yup, we always have too many bananas on hand (is that even possible?!). This would be a great use for some of them. Great crumb tip! And super recipe -- thanks.
Wow! love the crumb on this cake, it is perfection, along with the walnuts and icing of course. Lovely cake Chris!!
I have a pile of bananas that need a purpose Chris - so this is perfect. I bet everyone loves it. Thanks!
Wow! Love everything about this beautiful coffee cake. What a statement it would make on the table and of course, all those great flavours 🙂
Gosh you are artistic when it comes to decorating food, Chris! Everything always looks beautiful here and your coffee cake sounds wonderful!
Holy moly this cake looks amazing Chris! That glaze...yummy! Perfect for holiday brunches!
Such an irresistible coffee cake - your topping looks incredible!
Well fancy that I just bought a trough of walnuts, just because. This beauty is worth an extra trip to the store for bananas and thanks for all the recipe testing you do.
Looks fantastic..Gosh yo u are good.. non stop!!
we arrived home from Fl last night..gotta get baking:)
Tree went up though!
Pinning this Chris!
Mmmmm....I'm with Scott, that coffee version of the drizzle sounds incredible! And hooray for yummy streusel that sticks around!!
Thank goodness you found a way to prevent AWOL crumb topping!! That's my favorite part of a coffee cake. 🙂 Banana coffee cake sounds scrumptious.
I surely can't resist anything with streusel! Thanks for sharing, Chris.
Thanks for all the tips about tidy banana mashing, wrapping the pan with foil, and waiting to put on the crumb. When you put the crumble on before baking it becomes a streusel instead of having a nice crumble on top. Technique is everything. 🙂
Hmmm, from my computer, it appears that you have the recipe ingredients, but no directions. But maybe that is just on my end? I absolutely love your idea for mashing bananas. You know absolutely everything about cooking! I just may have to make this at Christmas!
Thanks so much Ginny, somehow the directions didn't stick! Fixed now!