Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake is a moist banana bread that’s layered with a crunchy, cinnamon-sugar streusel, and topped with a gooey maple icing.
I have no words. This is hands down the best thing I’ve baked in a long time. This is the most over-the-top mash up of a brown butter banana bread and a streusel-y, crumbly coffee cake. I like calling it a coffee cake or a banana bread, so it’s socially acceptable to enjoy for breakfast, but if we’re being real, I’ve been eating this almost every day after the kiddos are in bed for my nightly sweet treat. Breakfast or dessert…or both… the choice is yours.
Why you’ll love this
- The most amazing textures. Soft banana bread with a crunchy, yet gooey cinnamon crumble and a sticky maple icing. It checks all the boxes.
- The most incredible flavors. I’m fully obsessed with browned butter. And don’t be scared, it’s so easy that my 5 year old always makes it for me. It instantly elevates any recipe with a rich, cozy, warm, nutty, buttery flavor.
- Feeds a crowd. This recipe makes a giant pan. Make it for a family brunch or slice it into individual pieces and freeze it for later. Trust me. It reheats beautifully in the microwave.
This recipe is truly very simple, but it will take a little time, because there are four components: the brown butter, the crumble, the cake, and the maple icing. Here’s how I like to stay organized:
- Make the brown butter.
- Make the crumble. Whisk together flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon then use a fork to stir in the brown butter. Set aside. You could even do this ahead of time and place it in the fridge for later.
- Make the cake batter. Whisk together wet ingredients, then fold in the dry.
- Assemble and bake. Layer batter, crumble, batter, crumble, then bake!
- Make the icing. Do this while the cake is baking, then once the cake has cooled slightly, drizzle over the top!
This may seem like a lot of steps, but it makes a large 9×13 inch cake and I promise you, it’s absolutely worth it. This is absolutely the best banana bread/coffee cake I’ve ever made. It’s so good that I didn’t even add chocolate chips, which is unheard of in my household!
How to make brown butter
- Melt butter in a light colored pan (like stainless steel, not non-stick or cast iron) over medium heat. Using a light colored pan allows you to see the color of the butter.
- Once melted, continually whisk until brown bits start to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter is foaming, golden in color, and has a nutty aroma. This will take about 1-5 minutes (depending on butter and pan used).
- Carefully and quickly pour into a bowl to stop the cooking and let cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.
How to store
Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It’s best to avoid refrigerating cake, as it tends to dry out.
To reheat, enjoy at room temperature or warmed in the microwave.
– Jennifer
Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 2 ½ cups unsalted butter 5 sticks
Crumble
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed (light brown sugar is fine)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
Banana Bread
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar packed (light brown sugar is fine)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas about 6 large bananas
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spoon and leveled
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Maple Icing
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Melt butter in a large stainless steel pan over medium heat.
- Once melted, whisk continually until brown bits start to form and the butter is foaming, golden in color, and has a nutty aroma, about 1-5 minutes.
- Carefully and quickly pour into a large measuring cup (you should end up with 2 cups brown butter) and let cool slightly.
Crumble
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt into a medium sized bowl.
- Drizzle in 1 cup brown butter and use a fork to combine. You should end up with what looks like wet sand, with lots of big chunks. Set aside.
Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth, then whisk in mashed bananas.
- Fold in flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until *just* combined.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle with half the crumble, then repeat.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is practically clean (it’s ok if a few crumbs stick); check at 45 minutes and cover with greased tin foil if the top is getting too brown.
- Cool for 15-20 minutes before drizzling with icing and enjoying!
Maple Icing
- Place butter and maple syrup into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until the butter is melted.
- Whisk in powdered sugar and salt, then drizzle over warm cake.
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.