Baking with Olivia and Caroline

A tale as old as time: overripe bananas to the rescue

We’ve all been there. You buy a big bunch of bananas with the best intentions of snacking on them, tossing them into a smoothie, adding them to a nice healthy fruit salad, or enjoying them throughout the week. A few get eaten, but inevitably, a few are left behind – too brown, too mushy, and seemingly destined for the compost bin. But don’t toss them just yet! Overripe bananas are a baker’s best friend.

Sure, banana bread is the classic choice – it’s delicious, comforting, and dependable. But what if we switch it up? There’s so much more you can do with bananas. They are a versatile ingredient in baking. They’re a natural sweetener, provide moisture, and can even substitute for eggs in many recipes. They add structure to batters without making them too dense, all while delivering that rich, distinct banana flavor we love.

Today, we’re spotlighting a dessert that takes your overripe bananas to the next level: banana-sour cream coffee cake.

This cake is everything you’d want in a treat – it’s moist, full of flavor, and perfect for a cozy afternoon. Picture this: it’s Sunday, you’ve got a steaming mug of coffee or tea in hand, a good book, and a slice of this indulgent, yet no-fuss cake. Bliss.

I made this recipe in a tube pan. Without a tube pan on hand, Caroline baked it in a glass 8”x8” pan. The result? Perfection after about 60 minutes in the oven. Since we are miles apart and don’t have the opportunity of cooking/baking together very often anymore, we always share recipes that we concoct and have the other make it for feedback. Caroline was worried that her version baked in her square dish would be dry. Thankfully it was not!

Cake ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cups sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 very ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Streusel ingredients

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a tube pan or spray it with cooking spray.

Cream one cup of sugar with the butter. Add the sour cream, egg, bananas, and vanilla; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients. Do not overmix.

Mix the streusel ingredients together in a small bowl.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared tube pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture over the batter. Add the remaining batter and top with the remainder of the streusel mixture. Bake for 40–45 minutes. You can test for doneness by inserting a toothpick. 

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.

Tip: Did you know you can freeze bananas that are too far gone to eat? You can either pop them in the freezer with the skin on, or peel them like I do, and put them in a freezer bag. 

As always, enjoy! •

Olivia and Caroline are enthusiastic foodies and bakers who are constantly in the kitchen, as well as explorers who create their own adventures in our area – and did we mention they are mother and daughter? Follow Olivia on Instagram to see her many creations at @oliviawvalentine.