Let’s try to make together a vintage recipe today. How about this Best Banana Coffee Cake coming from a vintage Better Homes & Gardens Quick Breads Cookbook– 1975 edition?
I am constantly looking for cookbooks and have quite a collection of them in my house and my Kindle device.
I am also interested in learning more about the history of American cuisine and want to understand more about recipes that many Americans grew up with.
Have you ever started browsing through a book and discover that you just cannot put it down? This is what happened to me when I found this vintage book.
Many recipes in this book made me excited and itchy to get in the kitchen and bake. I also know that quick breads are very popular.
It is easy to understand why. There is such a variety of recipes out there, and so easy to make. No wonder people love them so much.
What is this Banana Coffee Cake- does it have coffee in it?
There is a difference between American coffee cakes and British ones.
In the United States, modern coffee cakes are not made with coffee, they would either contain fruit, streusel, or a crumble on top.
British coffee cakes, on the other hand, are flavored with coffee. There is also a popular British cake called coffee and walnuts cake and this is what you will be served in many places around the UK.
I hope this clarifies the dilemma, as I noticed that some people are confused about these types of coffee cakes.
Why is this recipe considered a cake and not bread?
This Banana Coffee Cake is not baked in a loaf baking pan. Instead, you will need a 9x9x2-inch baking pan. It is also a banana crumb/streusel coffee cake because flour, butter, and sugar are mixed to create a crumb mixture sprinkled on top of the cake before it is baked.
What kind of ingredients do you need for this recipe?
The beauty of these classic recipes is that you do not need fancy or unusual ingredients to make them. Instead, common ingredients from the pantry are all you need to make a delicious cake.
Shopping list:
This is a summary of the ingredients you need for this cake. For the right amount of each ingredient, make sure you check the recipe card at the bottom of this article!
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Large eggs
- Ripe medium bananas
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
How to make homemade banana coffee cake:
If you want to see general instructions on how this cake is made, read on! For the full instructions when you make the cake, make sure you go to the recipe card.
This is meant to be a general description with steps to understand how this cake looks like.
Step 1- Preheat oven
Do not skip this step. It is important to have a hot oven when ready to bake.
Step 2- Prepare the pan for baking
Butter a 9x9x2-inch baking pan and set it aside.
Step 3- Make the crumb mixture
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add flour and stir just until it resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve some of it for topping. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Stir into the butter mixture.
Step 4- Make the banana cake
Combine eggs, mashed banana, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until well mixed.
Step 5- Assemble and bake
Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.
Bake the cake. Allow it to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it from the pan.
I keep my coffee cakes on the counter, covered. They do not last very long, but if you think you want to keep them longer, you should refrigerate them.
Yes, remove the cake from the pan, allow it to cool completely, then wrap it in parchment paper and place it in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to eat it, place it at room temperature on the kitchen counter for at least 1-2 hours.
Usually, 20-30 seconds in the microwave would warm up a thick slice of this bread. If you don’t have a microwave, try it in a preheated oven at 350F for about 5 minutes.
I did not experiment with other ingredients, so I cannot tell you what would happen if you would start replacing them. After all, baking is chemistry, and you need to know what you are doing. However, if you like experimenting and you come up with something brilliant, please come back and let me know in the comments.
More recipes to love:
Cocoa Walnuts Banana Bread Recipe
Banana Walnuts Chocolate Chips Soft Cookies
Easy Banana Bread With Sour Cream
Check the web story for this recipe: How to make Banana Coffee Cake
Best Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- For the Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 ripe medium bananas mashed (1 cup)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Butter a 9x9x2-inch baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
- Add 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and stir just until it resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir into the butter mixture.
- Combine eggs, mashed banana, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until well mixed.
- Spread in the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture.
- Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Ross Wulff
Sunday 29th of August 2021
Were is the coffee
The Bossy Kitchen
Sunday 29th of August 2021
Hi Ross, There is an entire paragraph in the article that answers your question.