Banana Coffee Cake

Note: this cake contains zero coffee. It is merely a breakfast cake, which for some reason, tradition insists uses the phrase "coffee cake" I would break tradition, but I don't want to be a non-conformist.

Yeah, right.

It's more about being lazy and uncreative with naming food. I'm terrible at that. I want to list every ingredient that is included so that when you bite into my Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Coconut-Chocolate Chip-Rice Crispy cookies, you'll know what you're getting yourself into. Of course saying "Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Coconut-Chocolate Chip-Rice Crispy cookies"is completely ridiculous.

Now I bring you Banana Coffee Cake.

You may notice that I seem to make a lot of things with bananas, is this because of my love for bananas? No, it is not. I like them, but I feel no special affinity to them beyond normal acceptance. Is it because in our house we always have at least (AT LEAST) ten frozen bananas in our freezer? Yes, yes it is. Instead of throwing away the $0.52 we spent on two bananas, I'm going to make something of them! Waste not, want not!

I don't really know what that phrase means either and my brain hurts from answering questions about myself for applications so I'm not going there right now. I'm going to bananas and flour and sweetness.

My camera battery died so I have exactly one picture for you.

mmmmmMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm

I took this to work and they gobbled it up. Massage therapists are good eaters.

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Banana Coffee Cake

• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk
• 2 Bananas, approximately 1 cup mashed
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda

Crunch:

• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Add buttermilk, bananas and vanilla. Then blend in dry ingredients.

Spread half of the batter in a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle half the crunch (maybe a little less) over the batter and spread the other half of the batter onto the mixture and top with the remaining crunch.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean at 350. 

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Now, you all know that I can't just leave well enough alone. The thing is that I adapted this recipe combining banana bread and coffee cake and it's pretty good. Except the crunch loses it's crunch because of the moisture of the bananas. This is a M-O-I-S-T cake. 

Next time I think I'd just put all the batter in my 9x13 and top it with this streusel from a New York Style Coffee Cake:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Yes, it seems excessive. Perhaps it is, but look at that beautiful coffee cake from Buns in my Oven. I love a good crumbly-sweet-buttery-crunchy streusel. I think this could be the one to hold up to the bananas. I'm just sayin'. If you try it let me know! 

xo