When I first moved to America, I stumbled into a little bakery in Georgia and ordered a banana bread coffee cake. Oh my goodness. It was divine. So this week, when my brain randomly thought about it for the first time in 10 years, I just knew I had to recreate it… it’s fate!
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This is my version. Layered with a cinnamon-cardamom sugar middle, topped with a crunchy streusel, and made with sourdough discard and coconut oil. And don’t worry if you don’t have those on hand: Greek yogurt works beautifully in place of the discard, and butter swaps in perfectly for the coconut oil.
This breakfast-dessert is RICH and you only need a small bit to feel satisfied. Make sure to pair it with a lovely cuppa (tea or coffee!!) for a well-rounded, delightful bite.
What You’ll Need
OK so before we get into it, a few notes on the key ingredients because I want you to feel really confident going in 🥳
Bananas — the riper the better!! You want them properly spotty and soft. No ripe bananas? Don’t worry, just pop them (unpeeled) in a 250°F (121°C) oven for 15 minutes and they’ll be perfect.
Sourdough discard — active starter or discard, either works! It adds this lovely subtle tang that stops the whole thing from being too sweet. And if you don’t have any starter on hand at all, just use Greek yogurt. Same amount, works beautifully.
Coconut oil — I use refined so there’s no coconut flavour coming through, but unrefined gives a little hint of coconut which is honestly gorgeous with banana. And if you’d just rather use butter, go for it, just melt it first.
Cardamom — t’s in both the batter AND the cinnamon layer and it’s what makes people go “wait, what IS that??” in the best way. If you’re not a cardamom fan, just leave it out.
Start With the Streusel
We’re making the streusel first so it can go in the fridge and get really cold before it goes on top. Cold streusel = better clumps = crunchier topping.
Just combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon, then use your fingers to work the cold cubed butter in until it looks crumbly and clumpy. You want some bigger chunks in there — those are the bits that go all golden and crunchy on top. Into the fridge it goes while you sort everything else.
The Cinnamon-Cardamom Layer
Honestly my favourite part of this whole cake. It’s just sugar, cinnamon and cardamom stirred together in a little bowl (so simple), but when you slice into the cake you get this gorgeous spiced ribbon running through the middle. So good!!
The Batter
This comes together so quickly, I love it. Whisk your dry ingredients together in one bowl (if you are bulk baking, make sure to sift the dry ingredients before adding to the bowl). In a bigger bowl, whisk your coconut oil and sugar, then add the discard, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Fold in your mashed bananas.
Then add the dry to the wet and fold gently until it just comes together. A few streaks of flour are absolutely fine! Please don’t overmix, it’ll make it tough and we don’t want that.
Layering & Baking
Pour half the batter into your pan and spread it out. Then sprinkle ALL of the cinnamon-cardamom sugar over the top. Spoon the rest of the batter over and gently spread to cover.
Pull your cold streusel out of the fridge, scatter it all over the top, and bake at 325°F (165°C) for 40–45 minutes. Start checking at 40… you want a clean toothpick from the centre and the streusel to be lightly golden. We bake it lower and slower because of all the moisture from the bananas and discard.
Let it cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before you slice in.
The Icing
I call it optional but I ALWAYS do it and I think you should too. It’s just powdered sugar, a splash of milk or cream and a tiny bit of vanilla. Whisk it together until smooth and drizzle it over the fully cooled cake. It makes it look so beautiful and honestly it just finishes the whole thing off perfectly.
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Banana Bread Coffee Cake with Cardamom-Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
Cake
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 6 tbsp coconut oil, melted can sub for melted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter (discard or active) can sub for greek yogurt
- 1 egg room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ripe, mashed bananas
Cardamom-Cinnamon Sugar
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp salted butter softened or melted
Optional Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tbsp milk or cream
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat & prep Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan and line with parchment paper.
- Make the streusel first. Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Work in the softened butter with your fingers until the mixture is mixed and you get clumpy, crumbly bits. Pop it in the fridge while you make the batter.
- Mix the cinnamon layer. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
- Mix your wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, sugar, discard, egg, vanilla, and mashed bananas until combined.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold gently until just combined. A few streaks of flour are totally fine (don't overmix).
- Assemble! Pour half the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle all of the cinnamon layer over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter on top and gently spread to cover. Scatter the cold streusel evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake at 325°F for 40–45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the streusel is lightly golden. Start checking at 40 minutes.
- Cool. Let it cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Cool fully before adding icing.
- Optional icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and drizzleable. Add a splash more milk if it's too thick. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Notes
Like this recipe? Make sure to check out the autumn version… sourdough pumpking spice coffee cake!
