Banana Bread Coffee Cake from Daily Appetite

Banana Bread Coffee Cake - made January 3, 2025 from Daily Appetite

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup mik

2 large eggs

2 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

Streusel

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Icing

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Make streusel topping: in a mixing bowl, use a fork to combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter. Slowly add in flour and combine, using the fork in a cutting action. Squeeze handfuls of streusel by hand to create large clumps.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, milk, eggs and bananas.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix to combine.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with streusel, spreading evenly to cover top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
6. While the cake is cooling, make the icing: in a small saucepan over low heat, combine milk and sugar with a whisk. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Add more milk if needed to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over warm cake.

This recipe didn't fail me but rather, I failed it. I've become so used to baking "my way" that I violated the first rule of baking and didn't read the recipe very closely. My biggest mistake is I only baked this at 350 degrees F instead of 375. Consequently, although the toothpick came out clean after 30 minutes, it turns out the cake was still underbaked. I discovered my mistake too late as I'd already glazed it. But the initial taste test piece was too dense and soggy, not just from the bananas but because it was underbaked. I did pop it back into the oven to bake some more but that made the glaze crystallize and harden once it came out of the oven a second time and cooled.

Which was too bad as this cake was pretty good in terms of flavor, even underbaked and later, twice baked. So I'll have to try it again and pay more attention next time. Even though I failed with it, I’m still posting about it as it’s worth logging for a second try and it’s a good way to use up milk before it expires. Not to mention overripe bananas.