These banana coffee cake muffins are perfect for a breakfast or brunch. They're as easy to make as banana bread or coffee cake and scream homemade decadence. They're banana cake muffins with a cinnamon swirl in the center, topped with a spiced streusel and espresso glaze. In short, they are cozy little streusel topped cakes disguised as muffins. Cake for breakfast, anyone?!
In a few words, these banana muffins are best described as
- Homemade
- Bakery style muffins
- Buttery
- Sweet
- Balanced with a sweet, slightly bitter espresso glaze
- Full of sweet and spicy cinnamon flavor
- Soft cake like banana muffin
- Crunchy streusel topping
- Easy to make
- Perfect for breakfast or brunch
For more streusel topped cakes try these Cinnamon Streusel Muffins, Carrot Cake Muffins, Raspberry Almond Streusel Muffins, or Cinnamon Streusel Banana Coffee Cake.
The ingredient list
- Maple sugar
- Unsalted butter
- All purpose flour
- Cake flour
- Instant espresso powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda and powder
- Salt
- Bananas
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
From these ingredients you will make the spiced streusel topping, cinnamon filling, banana coffee cake muffins and the espresso glaze.
Baking pans and tools
- 12 ct muffin pan
- Cupcake or muffin liners
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Flexible spatula or spoon
- Medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoon capacity)
Recipe notes and ingredient substiutions
- All purpose flour: to make this gluten free, I would try using this 1:1 baking flour.
- Maple sugar: this is a great refined sugar free option. use light brown sugar for an easy substitute.
- Cinnamon: any combination of "warming spices" works beautifully in this cake.
- chai spice, pumpkin spice, apple pie spice also work well
- Butter: to make this dairy free, use vegan butter or neutral oil such as olive oil or canola oil.
- Oil works well for the cake. the streusel will have a slightly different texture without larger clumps.
- Espresso powder: omit from the cake if needed. for the glaze, the espresso can be replaced with maple syrup or milk.
- Sour cream: use a full fat greek yogurt.
Step by step instructions
1: Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C). Line a 12 ct. muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2: Make the streusel by whisking the dry ingredients together. Work in the cubes of butter with your hands or pastry cutter.
3: Make the filling by whisking the cinnamon and sugar together until well combined.
4: Make the banana muffins by whisking the dry ingredients together until well combined.
5: Whisk all the wet ingredients together until smooth and well combined. The liquid will be smooth (with a few clumps from the banana) and a pale yellow color once throughly mixed.
6: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
7: Fill each of the muffin liners half way. Swirl in the cinnamon sugar filling. Top each of the muffin liners with the remaining banana batter. Top with the streusel.
8: Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F (177 C) and continue to bake until the muffins are done.
9: Cool the muffins in the pan for 30 minutes. Make the glaze by whisking the espresso and vanilla extract with the powdered sugar.
10. Remove muffins from the pan to cool on a cooling rack. Drizzle with the espresso glaze. Set and enjoy!
Other streusel cakes to try
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banana coffee cake muffins
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
spiced streusel
- ¼ c (50 g) maple or light brown sugar
- ½ c (60 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
cinnamon filling
- 1/3 c (70 g) maple or light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (9 g) ground cinnamon
banana coffee cake
- 1 c (120 g) all purpose flour
- 1 c (120 g) cake flour
- 2 tsp (2 g) instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 c mashed banana (about 2 medium - large)
- ¾ c (150 g) maple or light brown sugar
- ½ c (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ c (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
espresso glaze
- 1 c (125 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) brewed espresso or strong coffee
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C). Line a 12 ct. muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the spiced streusel by whisking the sugar and flour together in a large bowl until well combined. Work in the cold, cubed butter until well combined in the texture of wet sand, with some larger pieces. Place streusel topping into the fridge to chill until the cake is ready to be topped.
- To make the filling, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon powder in a small bowl until very well combined.
- To make the banana coffee cake muffins, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- In a seperate, larger mixing bowl, whisk the melted mashed banana, butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined. The liquid will be a pale yellow once all is mixed together.Stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Let the muffins rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. This brief rest period helps to hydrate the flours and will result in a higher lift, making them bakery style. *If you would like to skip this step, feel free. I like to use this time to clean up and get everything prepped for the last steps of the recipe.
- Scoop the muffin batter into each lined muffin liner about halfway. Add in 1 teaspoon filling into each half filled muffin tin. Using a toothpick, cake tester or end of knife, swirl the filling into the batter. Top each muffin tin with the remaining batter. I like to use a medium (#40) sized cookie scoop to make filling the muffin liners easier and cleaner.Top each muffin with the streusel. Press the streusel gently into the muffin batter.
- Bake at 400 F (204C) for 10 minutes. THEN REDUCE the oven temperature to 350 F (177C) for the remaining time. The muffins will bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (about 20-25 minutes total). The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the muffins in the pan on a cooling rack for 25 minutes. While the muffins are cooling, mix the glaze. Remove the muffins to cool further on the cooling rack.
- To make the espresso glaze, whisk the freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee and vanilla extract with the powdered sugar. Drizzle the espresso glaze on top of each muffin. Allow 45-60 minutes to fully set the glaze.
I made these yesterday and they are fantastic! If anyone has been hesitating because of the espresso - have no fear - you don't taste it at all (although I suspect that its presence is what gives these a great depth of flavor). Completely forgot to add the streusel (they're great even without, but I'm looking forward to making again and adding it) and I didn't use the glaze because everyone was happy even without it. But that cinnamon swirl in the center! So good!