Our Caramel Pecan Banana Coffee Cake blends two crave-worthy classics: praline pecans and bananas Foster. A velvet caramel swirl is hidden within two layers of the banana-rich cake base while pecans stud the interior and brown sugar crumb topping. This praline coffee cake deserves superior pecans. For that, we turned to Schermer Pecans or their hand-selected and freshly harvested pecans.
Founded in 1946, Schermer Pecans is one of only a few family-owned businesses that still harvest, shell, and distribute their own pecans. Some of the orchards have been in the family for more than five generations, and that care and continuity comes through in the flavor of their fresh and natural pecans. From their trees to your table, you can expect the very best pecans for all of your baking endeavors.
Now more than ever is the perfect time to purchase their pecans. Schermer is in the midst of harvest, and this has been one of the best years yet in terms of quality and quantity. Buying pecans at the peak of harvest promises the finest-tasting pecans. And there’s no need to rush to bake. Store these peak-harvest pecans in the freezer, and you can enjoy them throughout the year.
You can purchase Schermer pecans online at their website in a variety of sizes, whether in bulk or by the case. Their Baker’s Box offers the perfect supply of pecans for the artisan home baker, including 3 (12-ounce) bags of medium pecan pieces and 3 (12-ounce) bags of fancy pecan halves.
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 1 cup (227 grams) mashed ripe banana
- ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- Caramel (recipe follows), divided
- ½ cup (57 grams) chopped Schermer Pecans
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping (recipe follows)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in banana, sour cream, and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture, beating just until combined. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Drizzle with ¾ cup (246 grams) warm Caramel, and sprinkle with pecans. Top with remaining batter, and swirl in ¼ cup (82 grams) Caramel. Sprinkle with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle with remaining Caramel before serving, if desired.
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 grams) water
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream, warmed
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- In a large skillet, stir together sugar and ¼ cup (60 grams) water. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until mixture is amber colored, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cream and butter. Let cool in skillet, stirring frequently.
- ⅓ cup (73 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (24 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (57 grams) chopped Schermer Pecans
- In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Using a wooden spoon, stir in melted butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans.
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
Der Kuchen sieht wirklich toll aus und er schmeckt bestimmt auch sehr sehr gut, danke für das teilen und für die Gramm Angaben!
Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
I tried twice to make the carmel recipe and twice it failed in a granular mess. I looked up other carmel recipes and they do not add water to the sugar. Is this a mistake when used in your recipe?
Hi Kathleen,
There are several variations of caramel, the most basic being just melted sugar brought to a specific temperature. If you are seeing granulation, it is likely that your pot has some granules of sugar on the sides. If the melted sugar meets these crystals, the whole mixture goes into a chain reaction of crystallization. You can use a wet pastry brush to brush down crystals before you start heating the mix, but make sure that you are not disturbing (or stirring) the hot sugar once it starts caramelizing.
Has anyone tried this using a jar of ice cream caramel sauce, instead of the homemade?!
I have used a jar of store-bought caramel sauce in this recipe twice and I highly recommend that approach. The cake itself is quite labor- intensive (I’m a very experience baker, and it took me more than 2 hours to make the batter and streussel and assemble the cake.) I don’t even like to think about how much more time-consuming the whole process would have been if I’d followed the recipe and made my own caramel sauce.