This ultra moist and delicious banana coffee cake gets an upgrade with maple and a boozy splash of bourbon. It’s also swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a crisp cinnamon streusel.

You know how to instantly elevate any baked good? Add some booze.

If banana coffee cake weren’t good enough, try flavoring it with maple, and then on top of that add a big splash of your favorite bourbon. What is your favorite bourbon? I happen to be partial to Bulleit or Belle Meade Bourbon (something I fell in love with back when I used to live in Nashville).

The Best Banana Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is:

Unbelievably moist and stays that way! I accidentally left it uncovered in the fridge overnight and it was still moist the next day.
Spiked with bourbon–but don’t worry it’s nonalcoholic once baked.
Swirled with a cinnamon brown sugar mixture.
Topped with a crisp, addicting cinnamon streusel and sweet icing glaze.
Perfect to serve with coffee (morning, afternoon, or any evening coffee drinkers out there?)

What You Will Need

First and foremost, you’ll need a cake pan to bake in! I used a 9″x9″ square cake pan, but you could also make this in a 9″ round cake pan. It’s completely up preference or what you have available.

The Cake Batter

All-purpose flour
Baking soda & baking powder
Fine sea salt
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla extract and maple extract (the maple is optional since I know it’s not a staple in many pantries)
Granulated sugar
A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil.
Maple syrup: make sure to use 100% pure maple syrup, which is different from pancake syrup that you might find in large bottles. It’s pricier but provides authentic maple flavor!
Approximately 3 medium overripe bananas
2 Large eggs, at room temperature
Greek yogurt or sour cream, also at room temperature (give it a quick zap in the microwave)
Milk, of any kind

Cinnamon Swirl & Streusel

Swirl: brown sugar and ground cinnamon
Streusel: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, melted butter, and salt.

Icing (Optional)

The icing drizzle on top is completely optional, but if you’d like to make it, you’ll need:

Powdered sugar
Milk
Vanilla extract

I know there seems to be a lot of different components to this recipe, from the battle, to cinnamon swirl, to streusel topping, but I promise it is completely worth it. This is my favorite banana coffee cake recipe and I hope you love it to!

How to Store Leftovers

Since there was fresh fruit in the batter, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. A zip-loc baggie or reusable tupperware container works great. It’ll last for up to 5 days in the fridge. I recommend heating each slice of leftover cake for 10-15 seconds in the microwave being enjoying.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your coffee cakes!

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Maple Bourbon Banana Coffee Cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Servings

This is the best banana coffee cake. Take banana coffee cake batter, swirl it with cinnamon, top with a crisp cinnamon streusel, and of course add a splash (or two) of bourbon.

Equipment

9"x9" square baking pan

Ingredients

Cake Batter

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
⅓ cup vegetable or avocado oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp maple extract, optional
1 cup mashed banana, approx. 3 medium bananas
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp bourbon

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

½ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Streusel Topping

½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Icing (Optional)

½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
splash of vanilla

Instructions

Batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×9 inch square cake pan (or line with parchment paper).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda cinnamon, and sea salt. Set this aside for now.
In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract (if using) until smooth. Then add the mashed banana, yogurt, milk, and bourbon and continue whisking until you have an even mixture.
Begin adding in the bowl of dry ingredients, adding ⅓ of it at a time, whisking until the flour is just combined between each addition. Make sure to not overmix the batter.

Cinnamon Swirl

In a small bowl, mix the ½ cup brown sugar and 2 tsp of ground cinnamon for the swirl together. Pour half of the batter into your prepared cake pan, sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture in an even layer over it, and then pour the remaining batter on top.
Use knife or a toothpick to make a few swirls in the batter.

Streusel Topping

Mix all of the ingredients for the streusel together into a bowl. Crumble it into an even layer on top of your cake batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool before removing from the pan and slicing.
If you'd like to drizzle with icing, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Add more sugar or milk if needed to get to your desired consistency. Drizzle on top of the cake and enjoy!