E Cooks: Banana Coffee Cake
It's been a long time since my daughter has helped me out with a recipe, so yesterday when E volunteered to assist me with breakfast, I eagerly set her to work measuring and stirring. I had the recipe all worked out on paper, so I didn't think there'd be much opportunity for her to contribute creatively. As she does with any endeavor, she asked a thousand questions: "What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?" "Why do you add salt when cake isn't salty?" "Why do you call it 'flax egg' when there isn't any egg in it?" Though she often takes her interrogations to ridiculous extremes ("If we shot the batter into space..."), on this particular occasion she asked a lot of good questions that gave me the chance to educate her a little on baking--or at least the little I know about baking.When it came time to add the banana to the cake, she stopped me with a question: "What, only one banana? It needs more than that or it's not really banana cake!" I had to agree, so I dutifully added another banana. And you know, the higher fruit to batter ratio just might have been what made this cake so incredibly delicious.

It's creamy. It's sweet. It's so creamy and sweet that I almost called it Banana Pudding Cake. The bananas melt down to a creamy layer that dissolves into the cake around it so that it's hard to tell where bananas end and cake begins.
All four of us--my crew plus E's friend G--were amazed at how good this was. D and I actually had the same articulate response: "Mmmmm. Ohhhh." In fact, this cake may have been too good: with 4 of us and only 6 pieces, there weren't enough "seconds" to go around. Perhaps it would be better to serve it as dessert after a full meal than to count on it as a filling breakfast because it will just make you want more!

Banana Coffee Cake
(printer-friendly version)
I like to use turbinado or demerara sugar for the topping because the coarse texture adds crunch, but feel free to use any natural (or brown) sugar.
1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
4 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup soy yogurt
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas
Preheat the oven to 375F and oil a pie pan or an 8-inch square baking dish.
Mix the ground flax seeds with the warm water and set aside to thicken.
Mix the turbinado sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Combine the soy yogurt, soymilk, vanilla, and agave nectar in a bowl. Add the flax mixture.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the soy yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Slice the bananas and place the slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Spread the remaining batter over the bananas. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake appears set in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into 6 slices and serving.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 211 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 308mg Sodium. Weight Watchers: 4 Flex Points.
If you're looking for easy recipes that kids like to make as well as eat, take a look at some of our other E Cooks collaborations:
Banana Coconut Bars
E's Fruit Salad with Strawberry Sauce
Southern-Style Banana Pudding
Rainbow Stir-Fry
My other coffee (aka "breakfast") cakes:
Pineapple Coffee Cake
Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake














32 Comments:
I'm eating breakfast as I read this, and my breakfast of a banana and almond butter is not even close to the deliciousness of your cake! I want that for breakfast!
This looks so delicious!...though I'm not sure why "coffee" is in the title and it looks more like a pie than cake. :)
Skinartia, according to Wikipedia, a coffee cake is "A cake served with coffee or eaten at breakfast. Under this definition, a coffee cake does not necessarily contain coffee. Coffee cakes are typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits. Apples are also a common fruit to add to this dessert, and one might hear the phrase 'apple coffee cake'. These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called Streusel."
I grew up eating coffee cake and just assumed that everyone knew what they were. I naively thought that the last person who asked why my coffee cake didn't contain coffee was making a joke. Sorry! I should alway remember that we don't all share common childhood foods.
Fantastic. And lucky me, we're only two (humans) in our house--so we'll have plenty! Can't wait to try this out.
Thanks, Susan! That makes much more sense. :) I had no idea that coffee cake had a broader definition than I thought and the few times I did hear about it I assumed it had coffee in it. Looks like I may have missed out on a few tasty cakes!
I love "E Cooks"! This recipe sounds fabulous. And the photographs are sweet. Susan- I love seeing a glimpse of your life- and E, of course! She is a sweetheart.
OMG, this sounds so good...and I just happen to have a couple of bananas here that should be used.
I like the idea of adding slices of banana to the cake. Mmm. You must be proud to have such a talented young cook in the family.
That looks really delicious! What an absolute treat for breakfast! I would fight everyone else off with my fork, personally:)
Wow! That looks so tasty! Like banana pudding, only cake...which I think is better.
It looks great! I can tell that the second banana mad it super moist just by looking at the picture.
I love cooking with my little brother because he also asks a lot of questions. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world to know that you're helping them get in the kitchen :)
This sounds SO good! I'll have to obtain more bananas with a quickness, then beg for them to over ripen!
What a delightful "E Cooks"l post, and a delicious looking coffee cake!! I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of the girls and the end results of the combined effort, too. And all the questions. Such good ones. . .looks like you've got an energetic and intelligent young lady on your hands with a good sense of humor. . the smart ones always ask the most original questions. . .I agree E's suggestion to add the second banana is inspired. . . thanks for the sweet slice of life. . .
Thanks for doing what you do. I love having a place to go to for good vegan recipes. This one looks like a keeper (I'm trying your Red Beans and Rice tomorrow).
I'm trying to incorporate more vegan dishes in my diet, but it's a slow process for me. I'm still holding on to the cheeses and lots of "little" things like honey and cane sugar. Blogs like yours make life during this transition easier and tastier!
I am definitely going to try this - I love coffee cake! Thanks for the recipe. :)
I made this tonight and it was excellent, I'm adding it to my collection. Next time I'm slicing the banana's thicker and adding 3!
I'm unsure how to use ground flax seed. I bought Bob's Red Mill's ground flax seed meal and I tried to use it in another recipe in place of an egg. I tried to thicken it with water in my food processor, but ended up making a huge mess. Should I buy whole flax seeds and then grind them? Or since they are already ground, can I just add the water and wait for them to thicken?
This cakes sounds fantastic Susan! How fun too, to read about you and E making the cake together. My son asks me similar questions, so I cracked up reading about your adventures.
Yumtastic! I made this for a Mom's breakfast this morning and it was soooo good! It was a huge success and will definitely add it to my coffee cake rotation. Since you said it was a little sparse for a crowd, I made a batch and a half of batter to fluff it up a bit and it was delicious! Thank you.
I love reading your blog. It makes me feel like I am little again. You're the vegan mom I always wished I'd had!!
Now that's a breakfast I'd hop out of bed for!
That coffee cake looks amazing - Susan, I'm a student in Senegal right now, and I check out your blog whenever I'm planning what to cook when I go home - thanks for all the delicious-looking food!
This cake looks amazing. Cooked bananas are a wondrous thing!
I am such a huge fan of banana cake or banana nut bread!
I googled vegan recipes and found your blog. The recipes look yummy and easy...and I think I could eat this whole banana cake even though it would be wrong!
I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this question: is there a difference between one tablespoon of flaxseeds ground and one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds? And if so, what would the equivalent of one tablespoon ground flaxseeds be to one tablespoon of flaxseeds ground? Am I making any sense to anyone? Ain't the English language great?!
I made this yesterday as an early mother's day treat and it was so amazing! I sprinkled a little finely chopped chocolate on top of the first cinnamon sugar layer and it added a nice touch. I also used spelt flour, which worked really well. Thanks for (another) awesome recipe!
I made this for my mom's breakfast on Mother's Day. She adored it. Thank you for the fantastic recipe. :]
THIS SOUNDS AMAZING!!!! is there any substitute for the soy yogurt? perhaps apple sauce?
Apple sauce should work fine. I prefer the yogurt, but if you don't have any, apple sauce will do.
O gosh, Susan! I made this yesterday! One of the best deserts ever...
It was the best about 1/2 hour after I took it out of the oven, still a bit warm, mmmmmm.
And my son added some fresh home made strawberry jam and that was his snack & dinner (he ate half of the whole thing!). This one is a winner, thank you.
Polona
I have made this twice and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! Gooey and just sweet enough - heaven! The second time I made it, I jazzed it up even more by stirring some canned pumpking into the batter, sprinkling some frozen wild blueberries over the bananas, and then added unsweetened coconut and chopped walnuts to the topping. Oh, and I reduced the agave to 1/4 cup. It was soooooo delicious!
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