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–+ servings
coffee banana cake cut into slices.
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Coffee Banana Cake

This easy-to-make coffee banana cake is a soft and moist snack cake with a delicious coffee flavor and a fluffy whipped coffee ganache on top! Serve this no-fuss cake for any breakfast, brunch, or dessert occasion!

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • ¼ cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon ground espresso or ground coffee or instant coffee
  • 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large whole eggs room temperature
  • ⅔ cup mashed ripe bananas about 2 small bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Ganache

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 ½ teaspoon ground espresso or ground coffee, or instant coffee
  • ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F/180 C and line a square 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
  • Stir the buttermilk and ground espresso together and set it aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set it aside.
  • In a stand mixing bowl or with a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • Mix in the egg until combined.
  • Mix in the mashed banana and vanilla.
  • Alternate the dry ingredients and buttermilk by adding a third of the dry ingredients first, then half the buttermilk, and so on, mixing until each it almost combined.
  • Evenly spread the batter into the baking pan.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

Making the Whipped Ganache

  • Heat the heavy cream and ground espresso in a small pot over medium heat until it just starts to bubble, then pour it over a bowl of the chocolate chips.
  • Let sit 1 minute, then stir to combine.
  • Place the ganache in the fridge to chill overnight or at least 4-6 hours.
  • The next day, transfer the ganache to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  • Whisk the ganache until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Notes

Step by step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.
  • Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
  • Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
  • Use ripe bananas: Ripe bananas are perfect for making a moist and tender cake. If you don't have any ripe ones on hand, you can ripen fresh ones quickly in the oven or in a paper bag!
  • Cooking times may vary: All ovens are different, and your cake may bake quicker or take longer than the indicated baking time. I recommend always checking on it occasionally and testing for doneness with a toothpick.
  • Banana: Bananas can vary in size so I recommend mashing them and then measuring them. You want to use bananas that are ripe and covered in brown spots for the best results!
  • Buttermilk: Real buttermilk is recommended to keep the cake moist.
  • Coffee: For this recipe, I used a pod of ground espresso beans (from a Nespresso coffee pod) but you can also use regular ground coffee or instant coffee.
  • Unsalted butter: The butter should be soft and at room temperature before using. You can usually pull it out for a few hours before using it.
  • Room temperature: This cake can be kept at room temperature or in the fridge in a sealed container. If kept in the fridge, you will need to let it sit out at room temperature to soften before eating. This cake will stay soft and fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge and 1-2 days at room temperature.
  • Freezer: Freeze the cake individually cut or whole for up to 1 month in a sealed container.