Banana Coffee Cake with Peanut Butter Streusel (Reduced Fat & 208 calories)

After a horrendous work week with nonstop issues, I received a last minute call from my cousin to hang out, and of course, I couldn’t possibly refuse. 
I immediately decided to bake for his daughter, and my niece, little NN.  Without a lot of time on my hands, I opted for a simple coffee cake with a peanut butter streusel – very unique.
I stumbled upon this wonderful recipe on Cate’s World Kitchen that I chose to modify even further, in particular, I substituted all the white flour with whole wheat pastry flour resulting in a tender cake. 
This cake was a huge hit at my cousin’s home, and everyone who tried it, including little NN with her peppermint flavored herbal tea, loved it. 
So the next time you’re feeling in a peanut butter and banana sorta mood, skip the sandwich and opt to make this wonderful coffee cake instead.  It goes perfectly well with a cup of tea/coffee for a Sunday brunch.

NUTRITION: Bananas are a very good source of Vitamin B6.  They are also a good source of Vitamin C and Fiber.  Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is an excellent source of Protein and Fiber.  Although high in fat, Peanut Butter is good for you and an excellent source of Protein. 


MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• Instead of 1/2 a tsp of vanilla, I used 1 tsp.
• Instead of all purpose flour for the cake, I used whole wheat pastry flour increasing the fiber and protein amounts.
• I added 1/2 a tsp of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
• Instead of plain yogurt, I used buttermilk.  If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use milk and vinegar as a substitute.
• For the streusel, instead of using regular white sugar, I used brown sugar.
• For the streusel, instead of using all purpose white flour, I replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat pastry flour.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 12 slices)

• Calories: 208 cals
• Fat: 7.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
• Carbs: 41 g
• Protein: 3 g
• Fiber: 2.5 g

BANANA COFFEE CAKE with PEANUT BUTTER STRUSEL (REDUCED FAT) (mostly adapted by Cate’s World Kitchen)
~ yields 12 slices @ 350 degrees using a 8″ x 8″ round springform pan

INGREDIENTS:
Peanut Butter Streusel

• Unsalted Butter – 1 tbsp (room temperature)
• Peanut Butter & Company’s Bees Knees Peanut Butter – 2 tbsp
• Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 5 tbsp (reduce to 3 tbsp)
• All Purpose White Flour – 3 tbsp

Banana Coffee Cake

• Unsalted Butter – 1/3 cup (room temperature) … consider lowering to 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) in the future
• White Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Egg – 1
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Banana – 2 large or 1 cup (ripened & mashed)
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1 cup + 2 tbsp
• Baking Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp
• Ground Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp
• Buttermilk – 3 tbsp

DIRECTIONS:
Make the Streusel
1. Add butter and peanut butter in a bowl and mix.   
2. Add brown sugar and flours.  Instead of 8 tbsp of flour, I suggest using 3 tbsp of white flour and 3 tbsp of whole wheat pastry flour. 
3. Combine until crumbly.  Set aside.
Make the Banana Coffee Cake
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. In a mixing bowl, add the butter and white sugar. 
6. Using an electric mixer, blend until creamy, about 3 minutes. 
7. Add an egg and vanilla extract.
8. Blend until you have this.
9. Add mashed bananas and blend until well incorporated.
10. In a separate mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients… flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.  Mix.
11. Add all the dry ingredients to the wet.
12. Mix until well incorporated – about 30 seconds, but DO NOT OVERMIX.
13. Add the buttermilk.  Blend some more, but DO NOT OVERMIX.
14. Pour the batter into a round springform pan (as seen here) and spread.
15. Top with peanut butter streusel made earlier.  Spread evenly. 
16. Into the oven for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Check on the cake at the 30 minute mark – oven temperatures may vary.
17. Wait 15 minutes and unlock the springform pan.  Serve warm with a cuppa, of course.  🙂

OVERALL RATING: 5 / 5
This cake was perfectly moist and delicious.  Of course, a decent amount of butter in this recipe aided in making this cake very moist, in addition to the mashed bananas which took the cake to a whole new level.  I really enjoyed the peanut butter streusel which was quite different from most other buttery streusels.  Everyone from a 2 year old to a 35 year old LOVED this cake, and surely you will too.

TELL ME: Have you ever made a cake with peanut butter streusel?  Thoughts?