President's Day Weekend at home presented the perfect opportunity to experiment in the kitchen. I decided to bake a crumb cake, and was somewhat satisfied with my results. While I was not thrilled with the recipe, it was still pretty delicious. My main complaint was that the crumb cake was not moist enough... I love a thick layer of crumb combined with a dense, need a glass of milk kind of cake. I brainstormed about ingredients I could add in order to enhance the cake. I came to the conclusion that banana bread is the perfect combination of breakfast/coffee snack, and the bananas provide the moisture and flavor jolt I felt my crumb cake was lacking. I scoured the internet for a recipe, and couldn't find any that really resonated. I therefore decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own delicious banana crumb cake recipe. I added a vanilla glaze on top because why not, and voila! A delicious treat that is surprisingly pretty easy to make!
Ingredients for the Crumb Filling
-2 cups cold butter, cut into small cubes
-4 cups light brown sugar
-4 cups flour
-2-3 TBSP of Cinnamon
*Note, this makes A LOT of crumb. I layered it into the center of the cake, and on top. If you prefer less crumb, simply halve the recipe!
Ingredients for Coffee Cake Filling
-2 ripe bananas
-2 cups of flour
-1/2 cup of buttermilk
-1.5 Tsp Vanilla
-2 eggs
-2 cups of granulated sugar
-1 Tsp of salt
-3 Tsp baking powder
-1/2 cup of butter
-2 Tsp of salt
Ingredients for Vanilla Glaze
-1 cup of powdered sugar
-1 Tbsp of milk
-1 Tsp of vanilla
Instructions
Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas until they are smooth and liquid-like. With an electric mixer, mix together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the bananas. Add the milk. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Place the combined mixture into the pan. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon until it creates a crumby texture. It is helpful to use a fork and combine. Add part of the crumb in the middle of the cake, and the rest on top. Bake for about an hour. Crumbs should be golden brown. While baking, mix together ingredients for the vanilla glaze, and add on top once cake has completely cooled. Serve warm. Enjoy!