Banana Coffee Cake
For the holidays, Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake is the best banana coffee cake served warm for breakfast, brunch or with a cup of coffee.
Here’s a nice change of pace from banana bread. It’s tasty and worthy of a special get-together … this Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake for breakfast, brunch, or a piece with a cup of coffee.
Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake
And this is a delicious-flipped-over cake that is devoured by all! :) Oh, and if you’re looking for a savory brown butter recipe, then these Herbed Brown Butter Scallops is a must for the holidays!
Why we love this coffee cake
It’s easy to make.
You can make an overnight banana coffee cake version (prepare & store in the fridge; bake the next morning).
It’s an “upside down” cake – so the bottom becomes the top and is nice and gooey.
This recipe makes a great dessert for any breakfast or brunch. Optional to serve for dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients for Upside Down Banana Cake with brown butter:
- Butter
- Brown sugar + white sugar
- Cinnamon + ginger
- Bananas (ripe)
- Sour cream
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Baking powder + baking soda
- Salt
What’s for breakfast?
With a breakfast theme in mind, I recently made this coffee cake, and it was a HIT. I just love delicious recipes where you have everything on hand, and in my house, I usually have a ripe banana or two or three sitting on the counter, so this recipe was perfect.
What is brown butter made of?
Brown butter–also known as beurre noisette–is made by cooking unsalted butter long enough to turn the milk solids brown while cooking out any water present in the butter. It’s basically a change in color, flavor, and aroma. and has a nutty or toasty flavor. For a savory dish, try our Herbed Brown Butter Scallops recipe.
The recipe is actually called “Brown Butter” Banana Coffee Cake, and trust me, it’s good enough for company!
The warm butter and brown sugar mixture on the bottom creates the ideal balance of a mixture of bread and cake!
How do you flip the cake over?
- Place a serving plate on top of the pan and gently flip it over. The cake should come out of the pan and onto the plate easily. Tap the bottom of the pan if the cake needs coaxing.
- Drizzle any remaining juices in the pan over the top of the cake. Serve immediately.
Any recipe made in an upside-down-fashion is usually THE BEST. :) Because it usually means there’s brown sugar and butter involved.
Tips and substitutions:
Use bananas that are ripe and soft with many brown spots- not the dead black variety.
Turn this cake into an Upside Down Brown Butter Banana- Blueberry Coffee Cake. Instead of placing banana slices on the bottom of the pan, sprinkle blueberries on there instead.
Add almond slices or toasted walnuts to the topping.
Here’s more bread and cake recipes to try:
Sour Cream Banana Bread (3rd most popular recipe on my site).
Sour Cream Banana Cake Recipe (with real banana frosting-my mom’s recipe!)
Heath Brunch Coffee Cake Recipe
ENJOY!
This recipe came from The Recipe Girl Cookbook (out of stock, but you may be able to pick up a copy or 2 on Amazon). You can visit RecipeGirl.com and check out other fabulous recipes that Lori shares!
Get the Recipe:
Brown Butter Banana Coffee Cake (from The RecipeGirl Cookbook)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons [1/2] stick salted butter
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 medium ripe banana, sliced (see Tips)
- 4 tablespoons [1/2] stick salted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 ]F. Spray an 8-inch round (or 8x8-inch) cake pan with cooking spray.
Prepare the topping:
- Melt the 4 T. butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the butter begins to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into the round cake pan, swirling it around to coat the bottom of the pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together (next 3 ingredients) the topping sugars and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the browned butter in the pan. Place the (1) banana slices evenly apart on top of the sugars in the pan.
Prepare the cake:
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar. Beat in the other bananas, sour cream, egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Spoon the batter into the pan, spreading evenly over the bananas.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, run a thin knife along the side of the pan to loosen.
- Place a serving plate on top of the pan and gently flip it over. The cake should come out of the pan and onto the plate easily. Tap the bottom of the pan if the cake needs coaxing.
- Drizzle any remaining juices in the pan over the top of the cake. Serve immediately.
Notes
Preparation time: 25 minute(s)
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
