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?
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
Oh good lord- YUM! Peanut butter & bananas definitely trump the PB & J combo in my books so this looks heavenly! The glutton in me is imagining taking it to the next level by adding in some choc chips ;)! My brother's colleague wants me to make him a banana cake while I'm in London (he's a blog reader) so I might be trying this out sooner rather than later! Thanks, NIsha 😀
I love that you are able to whip this up when you don't have time. You should see what I whip up when I DO have time. It's not pretty.
Hope your week is a better one. Can't believe it's Monday again!
Looks really yummy and not too difficult to put together! I'll be definitely making it as soon as the weather gets a little bit less hot! Turning on the oven is not a smart idea right now! It's really hot here in Italy!
Have not made anything with peanut butter streusel but I could stop at that picture and eat it! This looks great and the healthier modifications make it a great choice. May have to try this one at an upcoming family gathering! 🙂
@Khushboo – the recipe actually called for chocolate chips and walnuts, but I thought it may be too busy, so I stuck to just banana and pb. You're brain definitely works in overdrive. 🙂 I think you won't be disappointed.. you can also try the other banana cake with cream cheese frosting on my blog, that one is amazing.
@Ameena – awww.. I think you don't give yourself enough credit.. you juggle a career, a husband, and a child which is not easy for any woman. It's okay.
@Elisa – hey, at least you're in Italy! 🙂 But I know, despite having an AC running, the oven can warm up the area fast.
@Meaning of Me – this recipe is awesome, you'll enjoy it. I think anyone will who loves pb and banana. Thanks.
208 calories? I love it! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, I love peanut butter and bananas. This looks so delicious! Perfect with a cup of hot "chai".
Such a delicious cake cannot possibly be so relatively healthy my friend 😀
Fantastic!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Love the PB addition and that is so low in calories!
I've never thought to combine banana and peanut butter, but now that I see this cake, it's ingenious!
Very nice! I like how you made healthier substitutions to this cake 🙂
you just got me in the peanut butter and banana mood…. Unfortunately a coffee cake this good, is never that easy to get around here… 😀
coffee cake looks superb
Whaaat…this is a HEALTHIER version? It looks so decadent!!!
sounds too good to be true!!!!!!
I'm a coffee cake fiend and this recipe looks amazing! The banana pb combination is ultimate and the fact its 208 calories just means I can have more than a slice. 😉
@Asmita – thanks.. it goes really well with chai. 🙂
@Ellen – yup, only 208! 🙂
@Guru Uru – you're right, it's not sooo healthy, but it's not too bad. 🙂
@eatgood4life – thanks! I love your modifications too. 🙂
@Pencil Kitchen – Honestly, I never buy coffee cakes, ever! Not even from bakeries, I find that I can make them so much better, and the more fat I add, the better it will taste. 🙂
@Spice up the Curry
@Squishy
@mollie
yeahh.. just a few swap outs.. but again, it's not like amazingly healthy either. Just sayin.
@Baker Street – that's exactly how I think, if I have room and go back for seconds, I don't feel guilty. And if I don't have room for seconds, I just saved myself a whole bunch of fat and calories. 🙂
I can't believe it but it looks so soft ande full of flavor, makes my mouth water
That peanut butter streusel sounds amazing!
@Beti @Angie – thank you both. It is a wonderful recipe.