Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

From Bon Appetit magazine, January 2003

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8×8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

NOTE:

Don’t have buttermilk? Use this simple substitute:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• Milk (just under one cup)
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.

2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.

3. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

My husband doesn’t like “traditional” coffee cake but even he had to admit this was awesome!  The streusel totally rocks and you know, Chippies, how much I love banana and chocolate together.  :0)  The only downside was I found there was actually a little too much streusel for the amount of cake, but that’s a personal preference.  It was still delish!

By the way, I cooked mine in a glass cake pan with 4 med. bananas used whereupon I had to add about 5 mins. to the baking time.

I give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10.