Sweet & Savory Kitchens

Aunt Suzy says . . .

S&SK goes to Florida!  I’m in Sanibel Island for my annual girlfriend get-together with women I used to work with – this is the 23rd or 24th annual trip. (We can never remember exactly how many years!)  I wanted to make a treat to bring and thought this recipe looked really good.  And it is!  Here’s what the blogger had to say about it and I agree:  “An addictive spiced, crumb-topped banana coffee cake is a big hit!”

So if you have some bananas that are past their prime, this is a great option.  I’ve adapted the recipe slightly.  We all agreed that the original is a little sweet, so I’ve adjusted the amount of sugar accordingly.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1  cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup  (1 stick) butter, at room temperature (add 1/2 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)

1 cup (2-3 small) thinly sliced overripe bananas

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain low-fat  yogurt

1 egg

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Have an ungreased 13 x 9 in baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients (flour through butter) and mix at low speed until crumbly.

Press 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture into the baking dish. Measure out another 1/2 cup crumbs and set aside.

Place the rest of the ingredients in the bowl with the remaining crumbs. Beat 30-60 seconds at medium speed until well blended (this will mash the bananas). Pour evenly over crumb crust. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup crumbs.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool before cutting into serving pieces.

COOKS NOTES:  This recipe has an unusual approach in using a crust with a cake.  I was curious how this would work and really like the crunch provided by it.  Don’t worry if the amount of bananas is a little less or a little more than 1 cup.  You can use yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk for the liquid.