Banana Crumb (Yum!) Cake

SkillScale: 3

My friend, Hope, gave me this recipe and it is one of our favorites to make. I especially like making it to share with family or friends who are spending the night when we want to have a special breakfast treat with coffee. Serves 16.

Banana Crumb Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed banana (approx 3 large bananas)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (1 c. milk with 1 T. lemon juice)

Crumb Topping
1 cup all purpose four
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 tbsp mashed banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until well-incorporated. Stir in mashed banana, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. 

4. Stir in one third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. 

Stir in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk and the rest of the flour mixture. 

5. Mix just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan.

7. Prepare crumb topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Add in softened butter, mashed banana and vanilla and blend ingredients in (with a pastry cutter or a hand mixer at low speed) until mixture is moist and sandy. It should stick together in clumps when you squeeze it between your fingers. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the cake.

8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Do not over bake.