Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake – A tender, moist coffee cake with a gentle banana flavor and a rich layer of chocolate, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. A crunchy topping finishes it off for a breakfast treat everyone will love.
If you often end up with overripe bananas, this cake is a welcome change from banana bread and muffins. It joins favorites like banana muffins and banana chocolate chip cookies as a simple, satisfying way to use ripe bananas and warm the kitchen on a chilly morning.
On cold weekend mornings I like to bake a coffee cake to warm the house. This sour cream banana coffee cake is mild in banana flavor, not overpowering, and the chocolate chips with pecans baked into the top add a delightful texture contrast. My family couldn’t stop praising it.
The method layers chocolate chips and chopped pecans in the bottom of a well-greased Bundt pan so they bake into a crunchy, caramelized topping. Serve slices with scrambled eggs and fresh fruit or a smoothie for a satisfying breakfast that keeps everyone full until lunchtime.
Scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements and complete instructions.
How to make Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter (softened; salted or unsalted)
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Large eggs
- Ripe bananas (best when heavily spotted or brown), mashed
- Sour cream (regular, light, or fat-free)
- Mini chocolate chips
- Chopped pecans
Begin by whisking the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt—in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy, about two minutes. Add vanilla, eggs, mashed bananas, and sour cream, mixing until combined. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; avoid over-mixing so the cake stays tender.
For the topping, mix mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl until well combined.
Grease a Bundt cake pan thoroughly. Layer one-third of the topping in the bottom of the pan, pour half the batter over it, add another third of the topping, then the remaining batter. Finish with the last third of the topping on top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool slightly in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate so the crunchy topping becomes the cake’s crown.
Tasty coffee cake ideas
- Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
- Coconut Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Crumb Cake
- Orange Walnut Coffee Cake
More breakfast recipes
- Swedish Pancakes
- Sausage Quiche
- Blueberry Lemon Scones
- Bacon Breakfast Casserole
- Whole Wheat Muffins
- Waffles of Insane Greatness
Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake
Kara
Pin Recipe
Equipment
- Bundt pan (12-cup)
Ingredients
Batter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup sour cream (light or fat-free work fine)
Topping
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, eggs, mashed bananas, and sour cream; mix until combined. Stir in dry ingredients just until incorporated; do not overmix.
- Stir together the topping ingredients in a small bowl until evenly combined.
- Grease a Bundt pan well. Layer one-third of the topping in the bottom, pour half the batter over it, add another third of the topping, then the remaining batter. Finish with the remaining topping.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40–45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, then invert onto a serving plate so the topping is on top.
Notes
Nutrition
I’m already saving overripe bananas in the freezer so I can bake this banana coffee cake again. It’s worth a try the next time your bananas are past their prime.