Blueberry Banana Crumb Cake

This recipe was developed and tested in my home kitchen at 5,400 feet above sea level. August feels like the right time to start shifting baking into something more cozy. This Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake is the perfect mix of fresh fruit with cozy vibes and a little bit of warm spices. It’s incredibly delicious; a soft, fluffy blueberry banana cake layer topped with a cinnamon crumble mixture.

This cake comes together easily, and you can use either fresh or frozen blueberries here. Let me show you how to make it!

How to Make Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake

We’re starting out with the cake layer. It uses really simple pantry ingredients, plus fresh blueberries and two extra ripe bananas.

To start, stir together the dry ingredients for the cake batter and reserve about one tablespoon to toss with your blueberries. Set the dry ingredients aside, and then in a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil until well combined.

Add in your eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed banana and then mix until everything is well distributed and mixed thoroughly. From there you want to start adding in your dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternating additions, mixing well between each one, and being sure to start and finish with the dry mixture.

Once you’ve added all of the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, toss your blueberries with the reserved flour mixture. Then gently fold the berries through the batter until they are distributed evenly. The batter will be fairly thick as you spread it into your baking pan.

For the crumble topping, again we’re looking at simple ingredients here. Start by stirring together the dry ingredients, and then adding in the melted butter and mixing everything together with a fork.

Crumble this mixture all over the top of the cake in your baking pan, and then it’s off to the oven! The cake bakes until it’s lightly golden brown on top and around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake

Here are my tips to help along the way!

• Do I need a quarter sheet pan? You can make this in either a quarter sheet pan or a 9×13 inch cake pan. I did a standard 9×13 inch when photographing- it works well either way as long as your quarter-sheet pan has edges all the way around.
• Can I use frozen blueberries? Yes, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe without any other changes to the recipe- it’s ok to use the blueberries straight from the freezer, no need to thaw.
• Do I have to use ripe bananas? Yes, the bananas should be very ripe for this cake. You want them to have a good amount of brown spots on the outside, and the banana should be fairly soft and easy to mash up.
• How do I know when the crumble topping is mixed enough? I like to mix the crumble with a fork and work the melted butter into the dry ingredients until you have a fairly even, crumbly mixture. It should hold together in your hand when pressed, but easily break apart into crumbles.
• How do I know when the cake is finished baking? The cake should look lightly golden on top and around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake

Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 2 tbs. oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 very ripe bananas mashed
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the crumb:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and grease a quarter sheet pan or a 9 by 13 inch cake pan with baking spray. Optionally, line the baking pan with a layer of parchment paper for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set the mixture aside. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients to the side.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the mashed banana and vanilla extract. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing completely before adding in the second egg.
4. Add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Then add in about half of the buttermilk and stir to combine. Repeat this process until all of the buttermilk and flour mixture have been added to the batter and mixed through.
5. In a small bowl, toss the reserved flour with your blueberries to coat them. Gently fold this into your cake batter until the blueberries are well distributed. Spread the batter into your prepared baking pan evenly.

For the crumb:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and flour until well combined. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. While the butter is still warm, use a fork to mix the melted butter into the dry mixture until well combined and a soft crumb forms. This mixture will be fairly dry, but should hold together when pressed in your hands.
2. Crumble the topping all over the top of your prepared cake batter. Bake the cake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cake mostly clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!

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