Toasty, sweet macadamia nuts and cinnamon sugar top this flavorful banana cake laced with flaky coconut. It’s especially moist. Select well-ripened sugar-sweet bananas for best flavor.
–Lou Seibert Pappas
Note
A surefire way to recognize when the bananas are perfectly ripe is to look for a bunch that’s speckled with dark spots. If all you can find are neon green bunches, fear not. Simply let the bananas rest on the counter, not in the fridge. In a few days they’ll be ideal.
Banana and Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large, ripe bananas)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (choose a buttery, mild one) or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons dark rum or amaretto liqueur
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) chopped macadamia nuts or pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or round cake pan.
- 2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar. Stir to blend. In a blender or food processor, combine the bananas, eggs, oil, rum or amaretto, sour cream, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Stir in the coconut.
- 3. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the nuts. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the batter.
- 4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, then remove the pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
Recipe Testers Reviews
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Banana and Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake Recipe © 2006 Lou Seibert Pappas. Photo © 2006 Maren Caruso. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.
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I made this recipe exactly as directed, using pecans rather than macadamia nuts as that’s what I had in the house. It’s definitely a great cake to serve with coffee or tea. I used two smaller pans rather than one big one because I wanted to give one to a neighbor. Because of the smaller pans, I was unsure of the length of cooking time, so I checked it a couple of times and found that, despite the smaller pans, the full 30-35 minutes cooking time was needed. The really great thing about this cake is that it stays so moist and fresh tasting even days later.
Lovely to hear this, Lorna, we so appreciate you taking the time to let us know! Thank you! Looking forward to hearing which recipe on the site you try next…
We made this for brunch yesterday, and it was really good. But today, the leftovers are AMAZING! The flavors really blend together and become more pronounced. Yum!