Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake exists somewhere between banana bread and coffee cake. It’s just the kind of cake you’ll find yourself eating all day long!
As long as there are overripe bananas, I’ll be looking for ways to use them. After years of baking, I’ve made countless banana breads and muffins. I love them, but a little variety is nice, too.
I happened upon this recipe as I was browsing through Buttercup Bakes at Home, a great little cookbook from the owner of Buttercup Bake Shop in New York. I’ve had past success with Buttercup’s recipes, so I took my overripe bananas and got to work.
This cake is a bit of a hybrid of banana bread and coffee cake. It seems somehow more significant than banana bread, yet not quite a coffee cake. There are plenty of oats for a slightly chewy texture. Plus, brown sugar and, of course, bananas.
And that crumb topping! Well, I’m always a sucker for crumb topping, and this one did not disappoint. The original recipe did not include nuts in the topping, but I couldn’t resist adding some chopped pecans. Oats, brown sugar, pecans, all held together by butter and cinnamon? Yes, please!
More Banana Cake Recipes
Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake
Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake is a tasty cake that's a little bit banana bread and a little bit coffee cake. Serve this one from breakfast to dessert!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/3 cups (132g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (133g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup (74g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (67g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (56g) chopped pecans
- 2 & 1/2 tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the bananas and vanilla.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until combined.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan.
To make the crumb topping:
- Mix together the oats, brown sugar, pecans, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over cake batter.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Buttercup Bakes at Home.
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36 Comments on “Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake”
These bars look absolutely delicious!
I have some banana’s that are screaming to be used! Thanks for the recipe! Pinning!
I put my need to be used bananas in the freezer. They are perfect for baking recipes when I need them.. When thawed they are nice and ripe!!
Funny thing is, I hardly ever bake with bananas because I always eat them before they get brown! When I want to, I have to buy lots of extra ones.
This sounds wonderful! I would definitely eat this for breakfast.
Looks yummy! The pecans sound like a great addition. I like a heartier banana bread, so I’m betting I would like the texture of it with the oats.
ooooh, a hybrid between coffee cake and banana bread sounds like heaven to me! MMM!
We have some bananas also that are just too ripe for our liking.. We see this cake in our near future.
Hmmm. I know what I am making this weekend!
I am so envious you live in a city with lots of good bakeries. The Buttercup shop site has so many baked goods I like. The combination of ingredients is the banana cake will be delicious.
That is the perfect way to use up bananas. This looks so delish!
Mmm what a fabulous treat!! Love this!
I love a serious weakness for crumb cake! Throw in this delicious oat topping, and I think I might be in heaven. 🙂
I love banana sweet treats and this crumb cake sounds so good! Now if only my family wouldn’t eat all my bananas so I can make it
Oats+banana = breakfast, yes? The perfect morning treat!
I adore the crumb topping on top, so tasty and inviting. Totally agree, oats & bananas equal breakfast any day of the week!
This one just went to the top of my ‘to bake’ list!
This looks amazing. I was wondering if I could substitute the bananas with a different fruit, possibly apples. Or any other suggestion. Thanks so much.
Hi, Carmelina. Bananas are pretty different in baking versus other fruits, so it wouldn’t be a straight substitution. I can’t tell you exactly how to make that change without testing it. You might try this Apple Crumb Cake if you’re wanting something similar with apples. The topping from this cake would work well on that recipe, too.
I just baked this cake and we ate it warm out of the oven. Great balance of flavors. I added chocolate chips to half of the cake and it was delicious. Does fall apart so, not sure, perhaps a tad less oatmeal. Overall though thumbs up and will make again. l
Very good! I didn’t have pecans on hand so used walnuts. Didn’t wait but about 10 minutes before I dug in. After a couple of bites, I went straight to the cupboard for my stand-by canned pineapple to eat with the warm cake. Super scrumptious and very breakfast-worthy. I could also imagine a thinned vanilla yogurt or non-fat sour cream to drizzle on the fruit-cake combo for a really good breakfast starter. Great texture for the cake–surprisingly light. Definitely eat warm!
I used almonds and pecans. This cake tastes amazing!
Totally amazing cake, my go to when I have over ripe bananas!!
Always a favorite at parties
That’s so great to hear, Lucy!
I made this today. So very good. The topping makes it perfect. Will definitely make this again.
I’m so glad you liked it, Morgan!
I just spent an hour going through all my old cookbooks trying to find this recipe…hurrah
for your post…this has been a family favourite since the 1980’s.
That’s wonderful!
Just made this and have it in the oven. 20 min left and the kitchen smells so good. Cant wait for it to be done and taste it!
I hope you enjoy the cake, Anne Marie!
Excellent!! My go to breakfast bar! I could eat the whole pan!!
Right? I’m so glad you like it, Jennifer!
Have you ever doubled this to make a 9×13?
I haven’t, but I think it would be fine. It may take a few extra minutes to get the center thoroughly baked.
Hi…greetings from Malaysia… Can i use whole wheat flour for the cake instead of all purpose flour…
Hello! You can, although you’ll notice a difference in both flavor and texture. I’ve not tried that with this recipe, so I can’t say how pronounced the difference will be. If you have all-purpose flour as well, you might try using half of each. Whatever part of the flour you want to substitute, be sure to substitute the same volume not weight. All-purpose flour is 120g per cup, while whole wheat flour is 113g per cup.