Easy & Tasty Banana Muffins with Almond Streusel

Super quick, easy and tasty banana muffins with a hint of cinnamon and topped with almond streusel.

Hello everyone!

I happened to chance upon a fantastic banana muffin recipe and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

This was a chance find on Pinterest. I always find that the best recipes seem to find you instead of you going on an extensive hunt for them. So anyway, you know I love my banana bread and muffins and I have shared my “All- Time Favourite” banana muffin with chocolate chunks and hazelnuts recipe here on Nomsies Kitchen previously.

I do believe that I have now found another recipe to add to the perfect banana muffins recipe list – this super quick, easy and tasty banana muffins topped with almond streusel. It has a touch of cinnamon added in the batter too, I always love the smell of cinnamon in baked goods. I also used a mixture of wholemeal and plain flour here.

Again, with most of my favourite recipes, it is super easy to make and does not require an electric mixer. Just whisk the wet ingredients by hand and add them to the dry ingredients. What a breeze!

Maybe that is not entirely accurate as the almond streusel does require a food processor – to simplify and quicken the process. Like with most of the times when I have used streusel in a recipe, I have always pre-made the streusel in advance. I have mentioned this previously and I am emphasising it again, it is so easy to make in a big batch and freeze in the freezer. It’s even easier if you divide the batch into single portions and bag each portion up. When you need to use it for a recipe, simply take that bag out of the freezer and thaw out in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours before using.

Small forward planning steps in the kitchen go a really long way, as does utilising your freezer to its fullest. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jaime Oliver who has launched a whole new series entitled “Money Saving Meals” and book on how to make budget friendly meals, reduce wastage and utilise your freezer to its full potential.

I hope you try this banana muffins recipe for yourself. If you are feeling indulgent, you should know that these muffins taste really good when warmed, halved and slathered with Nutella. I think it would be a good idea to just fill them with Nutella next time I bake them. Happy baking!

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel (Updated Version)

I thought of sharing an updated version of this coffee cake with almond streusel. I previously posted this in January 2014. This time, I used crème fraiche instead of sour cream and Baileys Cream. I also added a layer of streusel inside the cake. Hope you like it just as much!

Hello and a very happy Wednesday to you!

Have you been busy baking or do you firmly believe in not using the oven during the summer heat? As for me, I do not mind using the oven in the heat. After all, I am originally from a tropical country.

In any event, I thought of sharing an updated version of this coffee cake with almond streusel. I had previously posted this in January of this year. This time round, I used crème fraiche instead of a combination of sour cream and thick Baileys Cream. I also added a layer of almond streusel inside the cake. The last change I made was adhering to grand master Thomas Keller’s original instructions of finishing off the cake with a dusting of icing sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon.

What did all the changes result in? Here is my conclusion.

I didn’t think the texture of the cake changed much with the use of crème fraiche, it was just as soft and fluffy. In any event, the original recipe does state that you can use either crème fraiche or sour cream.

However, I love streusel and the addition of more streusel inside the cake makes it even better, I love how the streusel on the inside is all melted and adds flavour to the cake whereas the streusel on top still gives it a lovely crunch. The added cinnamon and cocoa powder also provides a nice flavour and smell.

For the technical aspects of the cake, this time I also followed the original instructions from Thomas Keller and piped the batter into the cake tin instead of spooning it all in. To be honest, I am not sure if it made a big difference. Both times, this cake has come out very evenly. So, perhaps next time I will skip this step. Anything that saves on washing up is good.

All in, this is definitely a perfect tea time cake. Soft and fluffy cake texture with delicious almond streusel inside and on top.

As mentioned before, if you need to make the almond streusel afresh, do give yourself some extra time as the almond streusel must be rested and chilled for at least 2 hours before you use it.

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping

Super soft and moist coffee cake with crunchy, crumbly almond streusel

Hello everyone. Happy Friday! I am happy to say that I have been busy baking pineapple jam tarts and I realised that I only posted once this week. Where did the week go?

Yesterday night, I wanted something that didn't come in a cookie form. As the saying goes, you can’t have too much of a good thing. I also wanted to use up some sour cream and some thick Baileys cream that I have languishing in my refrigerator. So, after dinner I baked this coffee cake and topped it off with some almond streusel. I had some leftover almond streusel in the freezer as I made a big batch for some blueberry muffins previously. As such, it saved quite a bit of time for me. However, if you need to make a fresh batch of almond streusel, do give yourself some extra time as the almond streusel must be rested and chilled for at least 2 hours before you use it.

As for the taste and texture of the cake, I really like how the sour cream and Baileys cream gave this cake a super soft and moist texture whereas the addition of the almond streusel contributes a crumbly, crunchy and sweet topping. When eaten together, the two contrasting textures provide a very appetising and delicious combination! I had 2 slices after my dinner, and no, I did not have an apple for dinner. This morning for breakfast, I had another one, maybe two, slices.

I was not too pleased with the photographs as it was taken quickly at night in yellow light as my greed didn't allow me to keep the cake uneaten until the morning. So, these photos will have to do. Until next time, happy baking!

Recipe for Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping

Prep Time: 20 minutes (not including time for preparing almond streusel)/ Baking Time: 45 minutes

You will need an 8” cake tin

Ingredients

200gm All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

75gm Butter

200gm Castor Sugar

1 large Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

120gm Sour Cream

100gm Baileys Thick Cream (coffee flavoured)

30ml Black Coffee (1 tsp coffee diluted in hot water)

Topping

200gm Almond Streusel (recipe follows)

1 Tbsp Soft Brown Sugar

Method

1. Grease the cake tin and line with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Next, start by preparing the dry ingredients. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add in the salt and whisk to combine the ingredients.

2. Cream the butter with a mixer until it has softened. Add the castor sugar and mix until evenly combined and the mixture is fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla essence, mix until just combined. Do not over mix after you have added the egg.

4. Now, fold in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, Baileys and coffee mixture. Add a third of each mixture/ingredient at a time to ensure that it is even. Make sure the batter is evenly mixed after each addition.  

5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. In a bowl, combine the almond streusel and tablespoon of soft brown sugar and roughly whisk together with a fork. Add the streusel topping all over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Recipe For Almond Streusel

Prep Time: 10 minutes (active prep time)/ Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use

Ingredients

60gm All Purpose Flour

60gm Ground Almonds

60gm Castor Sugar

60gm Butter

¼ tsp Salt

Method

1. Cut the cold butter into cubes. Place in a food processor. In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, ground almonds, castor sugar and salt together and whisk to evenly mix. Add the flour mixture into the food processor with the butter and pulse for about 15-20 seconds until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

2. Put the mixture into a resealable plastic freezer/sandwich bags. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before using. The almond streusel can be made in a big batch if you are intending to use it for other bakes, such as on top of muffins. It can be frozen for up to a month. Just put in the refrigerator to thaw out before using. Streusel should be used cold.