MAPLE BANANA & WALNUT COFFEE CAKE

Maple Banana & Walnut Coffee Cake

With a name like "Snowflakes & Coffeecakes", you probably have a pretty good idea where this idea came from!  If ever there was perfection in a coffee cake, we have found it!  My family goes absolutely nuts for banana bread.  Whenever I have a bag full of ripe bananas, it's always a serious discussion about whether to make traditional Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Banana Bread, or do something wild like Banana Bars or Banana Cake.

​But this Maple Banana & Walnut Coffee Cake?  It leaves all of the rest of them as a distant memory.  Beyond words, this tender coffee cake is perfectly wonderful!

Maple Banana Walnut Coffee Cake

This fresh banana coffee cake is so moist and flavorful - the edges cook up dark and golden but they are so soft and the crumb is simply tender and full of fresh banana flavor!  

​The secret of many a successful streusel topping is to sprinkle it gently on the top after your cake has baked for a short while - this keeps the cake fully baked, and the streusel from sinking down into your cake and becoming a soggy mess.  It stays light and perfectly crumbled, and by adding the sweetened walnuts at the same time, they also stay moist and not dried out at all.  But the maple glaze....it's a show stopper! 

​Two of my girls worked at our local donut shop, and everyone in our family is partial to maple-glazed-anything.  And this simple cooked glaze is BETTER than anything you'll find or experience from your local bakery.  Perfectly smooth, silky, with just the right amount of sweetness.  It's the perfect maple glaze drizzled to take this coffee cake over the top!

I should have made two of these this weekend - everyone that walked thru the door wanted to try a piece, and they were going back for seconds and thirds!  I personally thought it was wonderful warmed up for just 30 seconds, but I'll leave that up to you!

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful this is - and it is now a family and friend-tested and approved favorite!  Hope you get a chance to make this soon, and please let me know how your family likes it!

Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake

COFFEE CAKE SECRETS:

• Use the ripest bananas you can find for this recipe - lots of brown "sugar spots" are what gives this coffee cake moisture and flavor!
  
• For prettiest results, use a tube pan (or angel food pan) to make this Maple Banana Walnut Coffee Cake. 
• Be sure to spray your pan well with non-stick baking spray, or grease well and sprinkle generously with flour.  There’s nothing more disappointing that a lovely coffee cake that sticks to the pan - womp womp!
• If you prefer, you can substitute pecans for the walnuts for equally wonderful results!
• Have you ever had a coffee cake “eat” all of the lovely crumbles you sprinkled on top before baking?  You placed a gorgeous crumb-topped coffee cake in the oven, and when the timer goes off, the crumbs have gone missing, with just a few left visible in the center of the coffee cake.  To prevent this from happening, we bake the batter for 30 minutes before the sweet streusel topping is added.  Then it goes back in the oven until it’s all golden and beautiful. 
• You can dust this with powdered sugar and serve it warm, but it is so much better with ribbons of delicious maple icing drizzled over the top!
• This banana coffee cake stays fresh for days – if it lasts that long!  In fact, it seems to get better each day!  Just wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
• TO FREEZE:  If you’re making this coffee cake and want to freeze for enjoying later, let it cool completely after baking.  Put it in the freezer uncovered for about an hour. Once it’s nice and firm, you can pull it out and wrap it securely with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container so that your cake doesn’t get crushed.  To serve, thaw uncovered overnight.

Maple Banana & Walnut Coffee Cake

MAPLE BANANA & WALNUT COFFEE CAKE

For a family that loves Banana Bread, everyone goes NUTS for this!  A rich and moist banana coffee cake, studded with a walnut streusel topping and drizzled with a warm maple glaze.  Heavenly
​

Maple Banana & Walnut Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS:
Streusel Topping:
6 tablespoons butter (softened)
½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
 
Walnuts:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons honey or pure maple syrup (the real stuff, not pancake syrup)
 
Coffee Cake:
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups mashed bananas
1-3/4 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs (room temperature)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
 
Maple Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons half & half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
 
HOW I MAKE THIS:

1. Set the eggs out to warm up to room temperature.
2. Make the Streusel Topping:  In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and set for 30 seconds at a time until partially melted.  Add dry mixture to melted butter and stir until large clumps form.  Refrigerate. 
3. Prepare Walnuts:  In a small bowl, stir together the chopped walnuts, oil and honey/maple syrup until the walnuts are evenly coated; set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wrap bottom and sides of pan with heavy duty foil or two thicknesses of regular foil (to prevent your crust from getting too dark). 
5. Prepare Coffee Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
6. Using a handheld mixer, in a separate bowl beat the bananas, granulated sugar and eggs together until creamy.  Add the oil and vanilla; stir until well combined.
7. Slowly add half of the flour mixture and blend with a spoon just until the mixture is combined; repeat with remaining flour mixture, again stirring and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary just until combined.
8. Spray the sides and around the center of a tube pan generously with baking non-stick spray.  Immediately pour half the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven carefully to add streusel toppings and walnuts.
9. Remove the streusel topping from the refrigerator and stir with a fork until no large clumps remain.  Using a very light touch, evenly spoon the topping evenly around the top of the cake batter.  Sprinkle walnut mixture evenly around top of the cake.  Try to not press the topping or nuts down into the top of the cake itself – you don’t want it to deflate!
10. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, and then cover pan with foil.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a few lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake so don't be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes inside the pan.  Invert onto a large plate, then invert again immediately onto a cooling rack or your serving platter so that the streusel and walnuts are on top.  Cool completely.
12. Prepare the Maple Glaze.  In a microwave-safe medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, pure maple syrup and half & half.  Cook on high power for 1 minute; remove from microwave and whisk well, then return to microwave and cook for another 30 seconds on high.  Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.  Whisk together until smooth, shiny and lump-free.  Drizzle Maple Glaze over coffee cake before slicing and serving.
13. Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days and/or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

YIELD:  12-16 servings

RECIPE TIPS:

• For prettiest results, use a tube pan (or angel food pan) to make this Maple Banana Walnut Coffee Cake. 
• Be sure to spray your pan well with non-stick baking spray, or grease well and flour.  There’s nothing more disappointing that a lovely coffee cake that sticks to the pan!
• If you prefer, you can substitute pecans for the walnuts for equally wonderful results!
• Have you ever had a coffee cake “eat” all of the lovely crumbles you sprinkled on top before baking?  You placed a gorgeous crumb-topped coffee cake in the oven, and when the timer goes off, the crumbs have gone missing, with just a few left visible in the center of the coffee cake.  To prevent this from happening, we bake the batter for 30 minutes before the sweet streusel topping is added.  Then it goes back in the oven until it’s all golden and beautiful. 
• You can dust this with powdered sugar and serve it warm, but it is so much better with ribbons of delicious maple icing drizzled over the top!
• This banana coffee cake stays fresh for days – if it lasts that long!  In fact, it seems to get better each day!  Just wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
• TO FREEZE:  If you’re making this coffee cake and want to freeze for enjoying later, let it cool completely after baking.  Put it in the freezer uncovered for about an hour. Once it’s nice and firm, you can pull it out and wrap it securely with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container so that your cake doesn’t get crushed.  To serve, thaw uncovered overnight.

NUTRITION FACTS:
Maple Walnut Banana Coffee Cake
Amount Per Serving (based on 16 servings)
Calories 334 (Calories from Fat 99)               
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 52mg
Sodium 199mg
Potassium 194mg
Carbohydrates 53g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 34g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 210IU
Vitamin C 2.6mg
Calcium 30mg
Iron 1.4mg

Originally posted January 2017; revised and reposted February 2020.

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