Banana Crumb Cake
This Banana Crumb Cake is what I make when I notice bananas sitting on the counter with more brown spots than yellow left on them. Instead of tossing them in the freezer and forgetting about them, I can have this cake mixed and in the oven in about 15 minutes, all in one bowl. It bakes up soft and moist with plenty of banana flavor, and the brown sugar crumb topping gives it that bakery-style finish without adding much work.
I’ve taken this cake to potlucks, sliced it for breakfast, and served it for dessert more times than I can count. It makes enough to feed a crowd, holds up well if you bake it ahead, and freezes without any trouble. It’s a simple, old-fashioned banana cake that fits right into a Southern kitchen and always gets eaten.
Before You Get Started
- Use very ripe bananas: The more brown spots, the better. Overripe bananas mash and blend easier and give the cake a deeper banana flavor.
- Soften the butter: Soft butter blends smoothly into the banana mixture. If your butter is cold, microwave it at low power in short bursts so it softens without melting.
- Pick your pan size: You can use two loaf pans or two 8×8 pans. If you use loaf pans, expect the bake time to lean closer to the longer end.
- Make crumbs that hold together: When cutting the butter into the topping, aim for a mix of small crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces. That gives you a topping that bakes crisp and buttery instead of powdery.
Recipe Ingredients
- sugar
- ripe bananas
- milk
- self-rising flour
- light or dark brown sugar
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
How to Make Banana Crumb Cake
1. Prepare the Batter
Start by peeling the bananas and placing them in a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar and mix until the bananas are completely liquefied.
Add the butter and continue mixing until it’s well blended with the banana mixture. Stir in the flour, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and nuts if using. Mix just until everything is combined.
2. Prepare the Pans
Spray two loaf pans or two 8×8 baking pans with cooking spray.
3. Make the Crumb Topping
In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and butter. Use a long-tined fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of peas, with smaller crumbs throughout.
4. Assemble the Cake
Pour one quarter of the batter into each pan to form the base layer. Sprinkle one quarter of the crumb topping evenly over each layer.
Divide the remaining batter between the pans, then top with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool slightly before slicing.
Storage
Store leftover banana crumb cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, freeze tightly wrapped slices for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Notes for Making Banana Crumb Cake
- Freeze bananas ahead: When bananas start turning brown, mash them and store in freezer bags labeled with how many bananas are inside. Three bananas per bag makes baking easy later.
- Add a glaze: For an even more indulgent cake, top your banana crumb cake with a simple vanilla glaze. Make by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and drizzling it over the cooled cake.
- Spice it up: Add cinnamon or nutmeg to the crumb topping for extra warmth.
- Extra moist cake: Buttermilk can be used in place of regular milk.
- Make your own self-rising flour: For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chopped nuts, optional
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 bananas
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup dark or light brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Spray two loaf pans or 8×8 pans with cooking spray.
- Place peeled bananas in a mixing bowl and add sugar. Mix until bananas are liquefied.3 bananas, 2 cups granulated sugar
- Add butter and mix until creamed together with the banana mixture.1 stick butter
- Add all other ingredients and blend well.1 cup milk, 1 cup chopped nuts, optional, 2 cups self-rising flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, place all of the topping ingredients. Cut together with a long-tined fork until well blended.1 stick butter, 1 cup dark or light brown sugar, 1 cup flour
- Pour 1/4 of the cake batter into each pan and top with 1/4 of the crumb mixture.
- Pour in the remaining batter and top with the remaining crumb mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I’m making this right now—-without the crumb topping!
Wish me luck.
I made this last night and it didn’t come out quite right. I was almost out of baking powder and didn’t use enough so that was probably part of the problem. It turned out like banana bread pudding rather than cake. It is good, though. I like bread pudding and it was just for me so, fortunately, it’s not a big disappointment… just a puzzle! 🙂
You know what’s a really yummy variation on this? I made this without the crumbs (so just the banana batter), and baked it in a 9×13 casserole for 45 minutes at 350. Then after it cooled, I put a brown sugar buttercream frosting on it, and oh my gosh is it good. The cake is dense and moist, and the sweetness from the bananas really goes well with the salt in the frosting. Here’s the frosting recipe, if anyone wants to try it:
Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of butter (room temperature), and 1 tsp of sea salt (you can use kosher or table salt, but you might have to adjust the amount to taste). Gradually mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar alternately with 4 Tbsp of milk until the frosting is well mixed and creamy.
That does sound really good!!!
Christy, can I use frozen bananas? I just put some in the freezer earlier this week. Love your blog, love your cookbook.
Thanks.
Jacque
I don’t see a response here from Christy but I can say that I use frozen bananas all the time in my banana bread. Have not made this yet but plan on soon and I will use them then. Try it because I really think it should work.
Christy,
This recipe sounds really yummy and I look forward to making it!! It reminds me of a time when my children were babies and I did not have enough bananas to make some banana nut bread so I substituted some baby food jarred bananas. That bread was sooo moist that I changed my recipe! So next time you are in a pinch and your bananas aren’t ripe enough, give it a try.
Thanks for all you do.
Kathy
Oh my! This tutorial just really touched me. First, our daughter loves bananas so I’m going to have to make this for her very soon. Second, the story of how you named your home is very special. I like the idea of naming your home. It really gives a sense of the word “home”. Home is a special place that we spend most of our time with our family. Home is a resting place and a place to feel secure in this hectic world we live in. Where we live is just a building, but what we make of our surroundings is what makes a home. Third, my Grandma had a hydrangea bush…..a blue one. During the summer she would cut the large blooms, place them in a large brandy sniffer, and sit it on her kitchen table. Oh, this brings back such fond memories of my Grandma. She passed away 20 years ago, but her memory will always be with me. I have two hydrangea bushes, small ones, but someday they will be as big as the one my Grandma had…….and yes, I do have a blue one. : ) Thanks for sharing! May God bless you & your family!
Christy,
I LOVE this recipe! I made it for my household ( total of 8 right now) and had to make it 2 more times that same week!
I just got my copy of your cookbook (FINALLY) and just have to gush about it….now mind you, I’m married to an executive chef (who thinks he knows it all), he’s a yankee (but i don’t hold that against him) and I have to say out of the literally hundreds of cookbooks he and I have collected over our 16 year marriage YOURS is my FAVORITE. I love the way it’s written as if you were actually sittin’ here talking with me. The recipes are like the ones I grew up on. I no longer have my mother with me and the woman at church ( we all called her Mama Ruby) who practically raised me (helped that her daughter and I have been best friends since we was born) cooks just like your recipes. Thank you for bringing my childhood back to me. I’ve read the cookbook twice since it arrived yesterday. The first time I cried at the memories you talked about cuz I can remember some almost like that in my childhood. The second time I read it (today), I smiled with those memories..Thank you!!! The most important question is….when’s the next book coming???
Thank you so much for your website and friendship. Keep it comin’ girl!