My 10 month old son, Alex, loves bananas, so I bought him a big bunch on my last shopping trip.  The next day, my parents visited and they brought us a bunch of fruit, which included more bananas.  As much as Alex loves them, a baby can only eat so many bananas…although he did give a valiant effort.  So, I have been staring at several very brown bananas the last few days and I finally decided it was time to use them or toss them.  I hate to waste food, so it was decided. I am baking something with bananas today.  I wanted to make something new and I was leaning toward bars.  But, after looking through the index under banana of about a dozen cookbooks, I couldn’t find a bar recipe.  But, when I got to Baking For All Occasions, the recipe for Banana Streusel Snack Cake made me forget the bar idea.  I had to make this cake.  I just love streusel, especially if it has cinnamon because it really is a perfect complement to banana.    The cake comes together easily, but you will need to drag out your Kitchen Aid on this one.  The cake is very tender from the addition of cake flour and the sweet streusel provides great texture.  It is very moist, with just the right amount of banana flavor with subtle cinnamon spice.  My parents stopped by again today at the perfect time.  Upon opening the door they were welcomed with the delicious smell of freshly baked banana cake.  And, I had just finished taking my photos.  So, the cake was still warm and ready to eat.  They loved it so much, I had to send some home with them.  There are definitely some advantages to having a daughter who loves to bake, especially to parents who love to eat!

Banana Streusel Snack Cake

Yield: one 9 x 5 loaf ( I used the Williams Sonoma gold bread pan which is a bit smaller – 8.5 x 4.5)  or one 8 inch square cake

Streusel:
6 tablespoons (50g) all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons firmly packed (75g) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:
2 cups (225g) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (255g) mashed ripe bananas (2 medium or 3 small)-  mash by hand, do not puree
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) sugar       
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temp

Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon with your fingertips until the mixture is lumpy; set aside.

Before baking:  Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly coat a 9 x 5 x 3 in loaf pan with nonstick spray (or an 8 in square pan) then flour the pan, tapping out excess flour. Or, butter and flour the pan.  I used Pam spray with flour. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

To make the cake:  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of wax paper; set aside. Put the mashed bananas in a medium bowl and stir in the milk and vanilla; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until completely incorporated. Add the banana mixture (it will look curdled, but that’s okay) and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer to its lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.
Bake the cake until it springs back when gently pressed in the center and a round wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of batter, 40 to 50 minutes (35 minutes if you use an 8 x 8 pan). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Release the cake from the pan onto a rack, then invert onto another rack so it is streusel side up.  Let it cool completely before cutting.

The recipe states that this cake freezes beautifully.  Just wrap it securely in plastic wrap, overwrap with foil, and freeze up to 2 weeks.  To thaw, remove the foil and leave at room temperature for about 3 hours.

Source:  Baking For All Occasions