Banana Crumb Cake

Name: Banana Crumble Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 oz cream cheese; ½ cup powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons milk; Splash vanilla; 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 cup flour; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 2 cups flour; 3 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 very ripe bananas; 1/2 cup butter, room temperature; 2 cups granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup milk

ByCourtney April 4, 2023April 5, 2023

131 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Banana Crumble Cake is a soft and crumbly coffee cake that’s loaded with cinnamon crumbles inside and out.

Wake up to a sweet new day with a warm slice of our Banana Crumble Cake for breakfast. This simple cake recipe takes everything you love about coffee cake, and adds enough bananas to basically qualify as a side of fruit.

The cinnamon and banana smells will beckon you to the breakfast table, and our cinnamon streusel crumb topping will delight you with every crumbly bite.

We love when breakfast features a sweet item that compliments a serving of savory Overnight Breakfast Casserole, some toasty Eggs in a Basket, or a slice of Quiche Lorraine.

A slice of Banana Crumble Cake on a plate with a fork sticking in it.

The great thing about this Banana Crumble Cake is that it’s just as good all by itself as it is alongside a full breakfast or brunch. It’s even a great dessert option (especially the leftovers when there’s vanilla iced cream in the freezer).

Table of Contents

All About the Crumbs

The secret to this ultra moist cake is the layer of crumbs in the middle. Brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon crumb combine to make both the filling and the topping. The crumbs in the center disappear during baking, leaving their buttery, spicy warmth behind.

The crumbs on top get golden brown and crunchy, forming the perfect crispy crumb topping.

Metal spatula holding a slice of banana coffee cake.

This banana coffee cake is definitely sweet enough as is, but we like to top it off with a drizzle of cream cheese frosting. This glaze melts into all the nooks and crannies making this cake so good that you might find yourself letting bananas rot just so you can make it.

Why You’ll Love Banana Crumble Cake

It’s a great way to use up those overripe bananas. We all know the drill, you buy a bunch of bananas, they sit there looking hard and green until all of the sudden, one day you wake up to a mushy browning mess. No problem! Like with our Sour Cream Banana Bread, or our Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipes, the riper the bananas, the sweeter this Banana Crumble Cake will taste.
Easy to make. There’s nothing special or out of the ordinary here, so with just a few baking staples, and about 30 minutes of prep time, you’ll be on your way to making and eating this banana coffee cake.
Smells and tastes amazing. Waking up to the smells of warm buttery cinnamon and banana cake is like a good morning hug.
There’s plenty to share. This banana cake makes a whole 9”x13” dish, so there will be enough for you and 19 of your closest breakfast buddies.

Slice of banana crumb cake on a pink plate with a fork holding a single bite.

And if you don’t believe us, just listen to some of the comments…

From the Reviews

It’s a no fail recipe! Even when I just throw it all together and mix it, it still comes out delicious.
JL

Made this today. It turned out great and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Lisa

Absolutely LOVED this recipe!! It turned out so soft and moist. I don’t often have online recipes turn out as good as the pictures make them look, but this one sure did. Definitely a keeper for me, and I will be using it over and over!
Natasha

Ingredients for banana crumb cake displayed in various bowls.

Ingredients for Banana Crumble Cake

Bananas – Even if you’re not normally a fan of these sweet yellow tree beans, you probably still want some coffee cake, right?
Cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg – This sweet spices blend gives the crumbs in this cake its signature flavor.
Sugar and vanilla – Adds some sweetness.
Eggs – You’ll need 2 whole eggs for this banana crumb cake, so no splitting or having leftover egg yolks, or leftover egg whites here.
Butter, milk, cream cheese – These dairy elements bring richness and depth to the cake. The cream cheese adds some character to the frosting that cuts through the sweet.
Flour, salt, baking powder – Standard baking fare.

How to Make Banana Crumble Cake

Flour, salt, and baking powder in a white mixing bowl with gold whisk.

Banana Crumble Cake Batter:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mash your bananas.
Use a hand mixer to beat the butter into the banana mash.
Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat everything together.

Milk stirred into a banana, egg, and sugar mixture.

Flour being stirred into banana cake batter.

Alternate stirring in the milk and dry ingredient mixture ending with the milk.

How To Make Banana Crumb Cake Topping:

Butter cut into flour, sugar, and cinnamon with a pastry cutter.

Banana cake batter layered with cinnamon sugar crumbs.

In a separate bowl, combine all the crumb ingredients using a pastry cutter (or a fork) to form pea-sized crumbs.
Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 9″x13″ baking dish.
Layer on half of the crumb mixture.
Pour in the remaining cake batter on top, and top with the remaining crumbs.

Electric beater whisking together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Freshly baked banana crumb cake drizzled with cream cheese frosting.

Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes (until a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean).
Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix together the cream cheese frosting ingredients and drizzle over the cake.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tips and FAQs

This Banana Crumble Cake was originally posted in 2016. Since then hundreds of you have tried this recipe and given us your feedback, and it is overwhelmingly a hit. (Still at 4.5 stars ~200 reviews) Though as beloved as it is, every recipe has some hangups…

Slice of banana crumb cake with cream cheese drizzle.

This Banana Crumb Cake is too SWEET!

Most love this recipe as-is, but a common criticism is that this banana crumble cake is too sweet for certain tasters. If that’s you, reduce the granulated sugar in the cake batter by about ¼ cup and reduce the brown sugar by up to ¼ cup in the crumble topping.

Other considerations on sweetness:

Bananas that are brown, mushy and overly ripe are sweeter.
Tree-ripened bananas are sweeter than those that ripen after they’re picked (*thanks to reader Aarti for that tip).
Also, we’ve included a new Cream Cheese Drizzle as the new primary frosting. It’s less sugary, has just a slight hint of tang, and helps cut the sweet flavor of the rest of the cake a bit. Though if you still want the original powdered sugar glaze, it’s down in the recipe notes.

Slice of banana crumble cake on a metal spatula.

My Crumble Topping Melted!

Make sure that you use COLD butter for the crumble topping. And maybe add just a tad more flour on your second try.

My Cake is Pudding Like / Too Dense!

While it’s impossible to say for sure what caused this, I know from personal experience that forgetting the baking powder, or using baking powder that isn’t fresh can cause this.

Also, are your bananas jumbo-sized? If so, maybe cut back a little on those.

What Goes With Banana Crumble Cake?

Banana Coffee Cake is the perfect punctuation at the end of a nice brunch. We love it best when we’ve started the meal with a savory Eggs Benedict, Breakfast Sandwich or a protein packed Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash, accompanied by a Summer Berry Salad.

Golden fork stabbing a piece of banana crumb cake on a plate.

It can easily stand on its own of course, but I would at least recommend enjoying it with a morning latte and maybe a slice or 2 of Oven Cooked Bacon.

Because it makes a whole dish, you’re likely to have leftovers, so pair it with some ice cream, or a glass of milk for a great dessert.

Can you freeze the Banana Crumb Cake?

Yes. Just do so WITHOUT the glaze frosting and make sure to let the cake cool completely first.

Banana Crumble Cake

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Moist, sweet Banana Crumb Cake with a crunchy buttery brown sugar and cinnamon crumb topping.

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

For the crumbs:

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

For the cream cheese drizzle:

3 oz cream cheese
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Splash vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, mash the bananas. Beat in the butter until well combined. The butter will likely not incorporate all the way and might look separated. This is just fine! Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat until combined.
Stir in the flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the milk. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine all of the crumb ingredients and use a pastry cutter or forks to cut in the butter until pea sized crumbs form.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan then layer with half of the crumbs. Pour the remaining batter on top followed by the rest of the crumbs. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a measuring cup then drizzle over the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cake will keep for 3 days in a covered container, but the crumbs will lose their crunch after the first day.

Notes

To reduce the sweetness of this recipe, reduce the granulated sugar in the cake batter by about ¼ cup and reduce the brown sugar by up to ¼ cup in the crumble topping.

Originally this recipe was posted with this powdered sugar glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 35gProtein: 4g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.

Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups

Can’t Get Enough Crumble Topping?

Same. If streusely crumbly bits are your thing, you’re in the right place. Don’t miss our Apple Crumb Cake or this Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake.

And if it’s blueberries that you crave, you should really love this Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake, or our Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bread.