Banana Coffee Cake
(Sourdough Discard option)
(Sourdough Discard option)
prep time: 30 mins cook time: 40 mins total time: 1h 10mins Servings: 9-12
Ingredients:
For the Crumble Topping-
85 grams (6 tbsps., 3/4 stick ) Vegan Butter, melted
112g (scant 1 cup) All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Salt, this is to taste and depends on if you're using salted butter
1 tsp. Cinnamon
48g (scant 1/4 cup) Granulated Sugar
48g (1/4 cup) Brown Sugar
For the Banana Cake-
100g (scant 1/2 cup) Granulated Sugar
100g (1/2 cup packed ) Brown Sugar
80g (1/3 cup) Sourdough Discard, alternatively, you can replace this with equal amounts of Vegan Yogurt or Sour Cream
85 grams (6tbsps.) Vegan Butter, room temperature
190g (2 medium) Mashed Overripe Bananas
30g (1/8 cup) Plant Milk
1/2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Vanilla
215g (scant 2 cups) All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
For the Spice Layer:
30 grams (3 tbsps.) Brown Sugar
1 tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Method:
(see pictures and video tutorial below the steps)
Step 1: Make the crumble. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until sandy and crumbly. Place in the fridge to set while you prepare the cake.
Step 2: Make the vegan buttermilk. Combine the plant milk and apple cider vinegar.
Step 3: Mash the bananas. If frozen, microwave to unthaw, strain out the water, then mash.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment. Alternatively, you can use a spring form round pan with a parchment layer just on the bottom, as I did here.
Step 5: In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter. With an electric mixer, beat until fully combined and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes of whipping.
Step 6: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt.
Step 7: Add the vanilla extract, banana, and sourdough discard (or vegan yogurt), and vegan buttermilk to the butter mixture. Whisk until fully combined, and light, pale, and a little fluffy.
Step 8: Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, fold to combine. Fold until just combined, making sure to scrape the bottom to fully incorporate the wet and dry. It may be a little lumpy, and that's okay! Just make sure there aren't any separate dry and wet spots. The batter will seem thick and a little dry, but it bakes up moist!
Step 9: Let the batter rest. Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon to make your cinnamon mixture.
Step 10: Pour half the batter into the pan. Smooth the batter out using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the batter.
Step 11: Add the rest of the batter, smoothing it over with a spatula. Some of the cinnamon layer may marble/ mix into the top layer of batter. That's okay!
Step 12: Sprinkle the crumble on top.
Step 13: Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out relatively clean. There is crumble on the cake, so that will most likely get on your toothpick.
Step 14: Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before taking out of the pan. Cool on a wire rack completely before cutting.
Notes:
Can I make it in another pan? Yes, you could bake it in a round 9-inch pan, or 1.5x the recipe for a 9x13-inch pan. If you are going to use a round pan, I recommend a spring form, as it makes it way easier to pull the cake out. Due to the crumb, you can't flip it out, so use parchment to pull the cake out or a spring form pan!
What if I don't have enough bananas? The first time I made this, I only had one brown banana. I made up the rest of the weight with applesauce, and it came out great!
How do I store it? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days, but seriously, it won't last in your kitchen more than 3 days ;)
Make the crumble.
Make the vegan buttermilk. Let sit 5 minutes.
Mash the bananas until smooth.
Line an 8x8 pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugars. Whisk together with an elctric mixer until light, fluffy, and combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the whipped sugar and butter. Mix until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients, folding until jsut combined.
Combine the brown suagr and spices to make your spice layer for the cake.
Add half your batter to the pan. Spread evenly with a knife or offset spatula.
Sprinkle on all your cinnamon layer.
Add the rest of the batter, spreading until smooth.
Add the crumble.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 25 minutes before releasing from pan.