Banana Crumb Cake
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This banana crumb cake includes a moist and tender banana cake made from scratch and topped with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping that will have you coming back for more.
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked Banana Crumb Cake wafting through your kitchen. This cake is the perfect blend of soft, moist banana flavor with a buttery, crumbly topping that adds just the right amount of sweetness and texture. Whether you’re looking for a cozy treat with your morning coffee or a dessert to impress friends and family, this recipe is sure to deliver.
Made with ripe bananas, this cake boasts a naturally sweet flavor, perfectly complemented by layers of rich brown sugar crumb topping. The use of self-rising flour gives the cake a lighter texture, and if you don’t have any on hand, don’t worry—I’ve got an easy guide in the notes for making your own with pantry staples. Paired with the creaminess of unsalted butter and the warmth of vanilla extract, each bite melts in your mouth.
Best of all, this Banana Crumb Cake is incredibly simple to whip up. With just a few basic ingredients—bananas, butter, sugar, and eggs—you’ll have a bakery-quality treat in no time. Whether you opt for light or dark brown sugar in your crumb topping, both will create a rich caramelized flavor that complements the banana base perfectly. Enjoy it warm from the oven, and it’s bound to become a household favorite!
What You’ll Need to make Banana Crumb Cake
Ingredients
- sugar
- ripe bananas
- milk
- self-rising flour
- light or dark brown sugar
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
How to Make Banana Crumb Cake
To start this unbelievable Banana Crumb Cake, peel the bananas and add them to a mixing bowl.
Mash bananas slightly and add granulated sugar to the mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until the bananas are liquified.
Add softened butter to the banana mixture and beat well.
Add flour, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and blend well.
Spray two 8 x 8 pans with cooking spray.
Make the crumb topping by adding a cup of flour, a stick of butter, and a cup of brown sugar to a separate medium bowl.
Cut in the butter using a long-tined fork or a
Add chopped walnuts and stir together with a fork.
Pour 1/4 of the batter into each prepared pan to create each bottom cake layer.
Top each batter layer with 1/4 of the crumb mixture.
Divide the remaining batter and crumb topping in half and top each cake with a batter layer and a crumb layer.
Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Store leftover Banana Crumb Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Notes for making Banana Crumb Cake
- Whenever you have bananas going brown, place in a plastic baggie and mash. Write on the baggie how many bananas are in each bag. If you want to simplify baking Banana Crumb Cake – add three to a bag! When you are ready to bake, thaw before using.
- For an even more indulgent cake, top your banana crumb cake with a simple vanilla glaze. Make by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and drizzling it over the cooled cake.
- Adding spices create a further dimension and depth of flavor: add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and/or 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the streusel topping.
- For an extra moist cake, use buttermilk instead of whole milk.
- To make your own self-rising flour, simply add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for EACH cup of all-purpose flour.
- To soften cold butter, microwave one cube of butter in wrapper for approx 1 minute 30 seconds at 20% power. You may need more or less time depending on your microwave. It can take up to 4 minutes to soften. Be careful not to melt the butter! Microwaving at such low power gives you the best control.
More Recipes You’ll Love Using Bananas:
- Healthy Banana Pancakes
- How To Make Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Banana Nut Muffins
- Bananas in Red Stuff (a.k.a Strawberry Glaze)
- Caramel Banana Pie (a.k.a Easy Banoffee Pie)
- How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding From Scratch
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chopped nuts, optional
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 bananas
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup dark or light brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Spray two loaf pans or 8×8 pans with cooking spray.
- Place peeled bananas in a mixing bowl and add sugar. Mix until bananas are liquefied.3 bananas, 2 cups granulated sugar
- Add butter and mix until creamed together with the banana mixture.1 stick butter
- Add all other ingredients and blend well.1 cup milk, 1 cup chopped nuts, optional, 2 cups self-rising flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, place all of the topping ingredients. Cut together with a long-tined fork until well blended.1 stick butter, 1 cup dark or light brown sugar, 1 cup flour
- Pour 1/4 of the cake batter into each pan and top with 1/4 of the crumb mixture.
- Pour in the remaining batter and top with the remaining crumb mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
My 10 year old son and I made this today and it was delicious! Thanks!
Hello from GA
Got a little question here.
Why margarine instead of butter?
I don’t know when I last had margarine in the house.
Use butter for everything.
BTW LOVE LOVE to read you posts and your recipes are so easy and GOOD!
Stay cool.
Christy, my mother made this cake for my husband’s birthday last weekend and it was phenomenal!! Actually, she made one for herself first and knew he would love it so she then made it for his birthday (at the same time she made another one for her and my brother). We all love it so much and are already asking her when she’s going to make another one. I’m suggesting once a month, lol.
LOL, I am so glad to hear it has been such a hit!!!
Hey Christy! I have this in the oven right now and my kitchen smells wonderful! Will let you know how it turns out. The only thing I changed was to use buttermilk instead of milk so hope that doesn’t mess it up. I love baking with buttermilk. I know there was some talk of not having enough topping mix for a 9×13 so I used 1 1/2 times the mix and it was plenty. Mine was really easy to more or less sprinkle it all over the top. I think a key is to make sure your butter is not to soft when you mix it with the flour and sugar. Thanks for all your encouraging posts, your positive attitude AND your fabulous recipes! I am making the apple dapple cake tomorrow.
I hope you liked it UmMa!!
It got a thumbs up from every one in Sunday School! It is a keeper and a repeat I am sure! Thanks!
So glad to hear it was a hit Chris!!!
This here recipe sounds and looks like a keeper! Thank you and be blessed in your new home. Did ya move closer to the Zaycon Foods puck up sight? Lol
Christy, I’d like to share my banana nut recipe with you to try. How can I send it to you?
Sonya in NWFLA. I always thought that if you used self rising flour, you didn’t need baking powder..maybe Christy will respond to your question or comment. I’d like to know too if my assumption is incorrect.
When my bananas start getting overripe, I throw them in a ziploc freezer bag and save them to make banana nut bread which I need to be doing today. I do not peel the bananas before putting them in the ziploc freezer bag..I freeze them in the peeling. When I got to use them, I peel them and it’s a messy experience but it works for me. Everybody loves my banana nut bread recipe. It is very moist because I use plain yogurt in it. I also wrap it in foil within 5 min. from removing it from the oven. It will stay moist till the last piece is eaten and you can’t just eat one slice of mine..it is addictive! Cut the recipe out of the Phoenix, Az newspaper about 20 years ago.