banana-espresso crumb cake

Another crumb cake? Absolutely. When you go crumb cake you go big baby! I am on a crumb cake mission: to make as many flavor combos as I can. I love a good crumb cake. Yeah yeah I know I say it all the time, but a good crumb cake should have the following: moist cake, crunchy & thick crumbs with a hint of salt, and a higher or equal ratio of crumbs to cake. Right? Good.
So this inspiration comes from Baked. Inside that little jewel of a cookbook is a banana-espresso muffin recipe that is to die for. I took that recipe and turned it into a crumb cake. I did a bunch of tweaking and think I've found the right balance. And instead of using espresso, I used those little Starbuck Via's. I love those little guys. Have you tried them? They truly taste just like espresso, no bitterness at all. My only complaint is I wish they would come down on the price a bit for those of us that buy them in mass quantities.
This crumb cake was fabulous. I did not keep it in the house at all, I gave it away and fast. The original recipe for the banana-espresso muffins are just as fabulous too.
Note: the crumb topping makes A LOT of crumbs. Now I know my foodie friends love it that way, but I'm just warning ya. It's all good--all good.

banana-espresso crumb cake
fron vanillasugarblog.com
inspiration from Baked
print recipe

1 and ½ cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4)
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup half & half
1 large egg
1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 and ½ packets of Starbucks Via
1 and ½ ts baking soda
1 ts sea salt
¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I swear by Ghiradelli)
crumb topping (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 8 ½ x 8 ½ pan (or a 9 x 9) with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, half & half, and egg.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into pan, then top with crumbs (see below).
Recipe by Dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Bake in the center of the oven for 35 - 45 minutes, depending on your oven. Watch them at the 35 minute mark; turn pan around midway through baking. Will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing in. If it’s hard to cut them, just stick it in the fridge to harden up.

crumb topping
1 and ½ cups flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 ts coarse salt
1 ts ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled
Confectioners' sugar for dusting, optional

In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients, pour melted butter over and toss with a rubber spatula until large crumbs form. Sprinkle crumbs over batter.