Banana and Coffee Cake

A tender banana cake (not bread!) with a hint of coffee and a sweet cold-brew drizzle. Excellent as dessert or breakfast.

Today will be rather brief, but I committed myself to two recipes each week for you and I intend to stick to it despite life things trying to get in the way. I do have another recipe to add to the strawberry fest of the last couple weeks, but I’m afraid it will have to wait. And so I present an excellent banana and coffee cake. Not a coffee cake, but a banana cake with coffee – semantics are important.

Speaking of, what makes something a fruit or vegetable bread rather than cake? I mean, it’s not the presence or absence of yeast, there are plenty of cakes with yeast. I suppose one could argue texture, but that doesn’t seem to be consistent either. And quantity of sugar is certainly not a factor – I’ve put more sugar in a zucchini bread than in many chocolate cakes. I think would a great topic for further debate. The odd places my mind goes. Actually, The Flour Handprint did a nice post on quick breads though it still doesn’t cover why certain ones get particular names…

I would definitely categorize this as a cake rather than a bread. Like the carrot cupcakes from the other week, this recipe originates from Eat Fresh by Annabel Langbein and she calls it a cake. Even though I’ve adapted it heavily, I think it is still very much a cake – especially with the drizzle on top!

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Banana and Coffee Cake

Adapted from Eat Fresh by Annabel Langbein

Ingredients

• ½ c/115g unsalted butter softened
• ¼ c/50g white sugar
• 1/3 c + 1 tbs/85g brown sugar packed and separated
• 3 lg eggs
• 2 tbs/30ml bourbon
• 1 c/225g mashed bananas about 2
• 1 tsp/4g baking powder
• 1 tsp/6g baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbs/4g espresso ground coffee
• ¼ c/60ml yogurt
• 1 ¾ c/150g all-purpose flour
• 1 banana sliced in 1/4” rounds
• 1 c + 2 tbs/125g powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbs/30-40ml strong brewed coffee* at room temperature or cooler

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350Grease and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan
• Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy.
• Add eggs and bourbon and continue beating until fluffy.
• Add banana and beat until combined.
• Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, coffee grounds, and ½ of flour. Beat until just combined.
• Mix in the yogurt until just combined, and then remaining flour until smooth
• Fold in sliced banana. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with 1 tbs brown sugar
• Bake for 45-55 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing and cooling to room temperature.
• In a cup or bowl with a pouring spout, mix powdered sugar and just enough coffee to bring to a pourable consistency.
• Slowly pour over cake lengthwise to coat the top.

Notes

*I recommend coffee made in a French press, cold or warm brewed. I like having just a few bits of grounds remaining.