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The Unexpected Perfect Couple.
I saw on Instagram a beautiful cake, a Banana Coffee Cake. Strangely no coffee was listed in the ingredients (!!!). I learned later that this is the name for cakes meant to be paired with a cup of coffee. At that point, the couple banana + coffee fascinated me so much that I decided to develop a recipe.
a cake is born
If you are not totally sold about this duo, think that ripe bananas have notes of vanilla, honey, and rum. What would you pair with them? Coffee!
This cake is closer to a banana cake than banana bread. I wanted a pudding consistency (like a cake I ate once at Little Pearl, the super cool kid of Pineapple and Pearl (à la mode double Michelin starred restaurant in Eastern Market).
I make two versions of this banana+coffee cake. One with a swirl of coffee inside the cake and another one with a coffee crumble on top. I will show you both, you choose the winner.
Interest fact: this cake is the epiphany of this food blog. A colleague of my husband, Cassandra, eating this cake, told him “She should have a food blog, I would never come up with a recipe like this one”. And I realized maybe someone could really be interested in my recipes.
Ingredients:
It makes two medium loaves (if you use classic banana bread pan). A large ring of 11 inches aluminum mold (on the left picture) or a 10-inches bundt cake (on the right) works well.
- 1 1/2 cups (150 gr) of mashed bananas
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 greek plain yogurt pot (150 gr)
- ½ cup (100 ml) sunflower oil
- ¼ cup (30 ml) milk (you can sub with nut milk)
- 1tbs + ½ soft butter (25 gr) (you can sub with 2 tbsp coconut oil/same weight)
- 1 1/3 cup (200 gr) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (140 gr) sugar
- ½ cup (60 g) cornstarch
- 2 tbs of buttermilk powder (if it’s hard to find, you can skip it)
- 2 tbsp of dry milk powder (if it’s hard to find, you can skip it)
- A pinch of salt Optional:
- 1 tbsp of rum
- 1 tbsp coffee liquor
- 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder
for the coffee crumble:
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup instant coffee powder (I like a strong coffee flavor, I add more)
for the coffee swirl:
- 4 tbsp instant coffee or espresso
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat you oven at 338° F/170° C
- In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas with eggs, yogurt, oil, milk, butter, and vanilla.
- Toss in the powders: sifted flour, sugar, cornstarch, (if you have buttermilk powder and dry milk powder add them too.) Finish with the pinch of salt and combine using a spatula, without over mixing.
- If you like it, a tablespoon of rum or coffee liquor or cinnamon can join the party. I tried all of them and I enjoyed.
How to make the Coffee crumble. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times to get a coarse meal texture. Pour the batter in a buttered and floured pan, and top it with the coffee crumble. Cover with an aluminum foil and bake at 338° F/170°C for 50/ 60 minutes. To
How to make the Coffee Swirl: pour half batter in a buttered and floured pan of your choice. Cover with the coffee mixture, make a swirl with a spoon and pour over the rest of the batter. Place in your preheated oven, covered with an aluminum foil. Bake at 338° F/170°C for 50/ 60 minutes.
Remember to use a toothpick or a skewer to check if the cake is ready. Insert it into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, it is time to take it out.
I recommend eating the cake the day after. The coffee + banana cake freezes very well. I thaw the cake in the fridge to eat it the day after. For intense cravings just microwave a slice for 10/15 secs (for the coffee swirl version, be careful, it can get really hot).
Substitutions that I tested and liked :
- Gluten-free flour (I like Trader’s Joe one) 1:1 (same weight)
- Coconut sugar for granulated sugar 1:1 (same weight)
- Coconut oil for butter 1:1 (same weight)
- Almond milk for regular milk 1:1 (same weight)
