• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Evergreen Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Cookbook
    • Recipes
    • Resources
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Feb 18, 2016 · Modified: Feb 5, 2022 by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel

    A tender, moist vegan snacking cake. The double chocolate batter is made with bananas and walnuts, then topped with a oat and walnut streusel topping. Enjoy a slice with coffee or tea.
    Jump to Recipe
    Close up side view of chocolate walnut banana coffee cake with another serving in the background

    When it comes to bananas, I'm a hoarder. It never used to be like this. But when I opened the freezer door last week, only to have a pile of frozen brown bananas come crashing to the ground– I knew it was time to fess up. If it was up to me, I would have quietly just put them back in the freezer. Shut the door and proceeded with my evening. But the noise of frozen bananas smacking the tile, and curious cats trying to bat them around was too loud for even the best noise-cancelling headphones to drown out. With Anguel now in the kitchen – wearing a sassy "I told you so" smirk – I casually defrosted the bananas and made coffee cake instead. As if that was my plan all along.

    My banana hoarding tendencies started when we first moved in together. Anguel's spirit animal would probably be a monkey, based purely on the fact that he eats bananas like they're going out of style. Which is totally cool, except that there's never any spotty bananas left at the end of the week. And that's so not cool if you're someone who loves baking banana bread. Thankfully I've become very good at doing two things: 1) hiding bananas in random spots around the kitchen, and 2) bribing Anguel with promises of banana bread if he leaves some survivors for the end of the week. Apparently, this guy likes banana bread too.

    Close up of two bananas on the counter
    Chopped dark chocolate on the counter

    We make a lot of banana bread in our home, but recently this recipe has been taking the cake (ha!). This coffee cake has everything there is to love about banana bread – with some yummy extras including chocolate (times two) and walnuts. And let's not forget about the walnut oat crumble on top. Because who doesn't like streusel…seriously.

    Thanks to spelt flour, coconut sugar and pressing the skip button on the dairy, this recipe is a healthier take on the standard banana-bread fare. Bananas, nut milk, and a small amount of coconut oil help to keep everything moist. The batter calls for chopped dark chocolate and walnuts inside, but you could leave either out if you really wanted to. The crumble topping is like an unexpected bonus round – one that I think a lot of banana breads could benefit from! It tastes and feels decadent, but it's actually loaded with healthy oats and walnuts. A bit of coconut oil replaces butter and keeps everything all together. If fact, the crumble is so good that I've started to think through a long list of dessert recipes that I can add it to.

    The end result is a soft, tender and moist coffee cake. It's just sweet enough, which makes it perfect for pairing with tea or coffee. And while I originally made the coffee cake with the intention of it being an afternoon snack, we’ve definitely also snuck it in as breakfast on a few occasions. May once or twice this week - no biggie. It even packed up surprisingly well for our weekend trip to Bowen (a couple photos below). It made the perfect snack on our afternoon hikes; and one morning when we were too lazy to schlep it down the hill in pouring rain, we stayed in bed eating this coffee cake for breakfast instead. Because when it comes to getting cozy, few foods can top banana bread.

    Two chocolate banana coffee cakes with tea

    Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel

    A tender, moist vegan snacking cake. The double chocolate batter is made with bananas and walnuts, then topped with a oat and walnut streusel topping. Enjoy a slice with coffee or tea.
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour
    Servings 16
    Author: Bri
    Pin Recipe
    Close up side view of chocolate walnut banana coffee cake with another serving in the background
    Print

    Ingredients

    Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake

    • 2 tablespoons ground flax
    • 5 tablespoons water
    • 2 cups spelt flour
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1½ cups mashed ripe banana (4 to 5 bananas)
    • ¾ cup coconut sugar
    • ½ cup non-dairy milk (at room temperature, see note 1)
    • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¾ cup chopped walnuts
    • ½ cup chopped dark chocolate

    Walnut Streusel

    • 1 cup rolled oats, divided
    • ¾ cup walnuts
    • ¼ cup coconut sugar
    • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
    • "Flax egg": In a small bowl, whisk together flax and water. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.
    • Walnut Streusel: Add ½ cup of the oats to a food processor, pulse into powder. Transfer oats to a medium bowl. Pulse walnuts until finely chopped. Transfer walnuts to the bowl. Add remaining ½ cup (whole) oats, sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until clumps form. Set aside.
    • Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together spelt flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
    • Wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together banana, sugar, milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Add "flax egg", whisk until combined.
    • Combine: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently mix until there are a few streaks of flour left. Gently fold in walnuts and chocolate (be careful not to overmix).
    • Assemble and bake: Line 1 9-inch square pan with parchment (see note 2). Pour the batter into the pan, then sprinkle the walnut streusel on top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool, lift from pan, and cut into squares.

    Notes

    1. Milk: Non-dairy milk should be unsweetened and unflavored. Adding room temperature milk will prevent the coconut oil from solidifying. You can substitute non-dairy milk for dairy milk if you'd prefer.
    2. Baking pan substitute: If you don't have a 9-inch pan, you can use an 8-inch pan instead (as long as it's sides are at least 2-inches tall). If using a smaller pan, you may need to gently press the streusel topping down to get it to fit.
    3. Baking by weight: For the most reliable results, we recommend measuring by weight when baking. Ingredient weights are provided in metric. If you must go by volume (measuring cups), make sure to fluff, spoon, and level the flour to avoid adding too much.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a rating below and tag us @evergreenkitchen on instagram!

    More Desserts

    • Perfect slice of Banana Walnut Cake being served.
      Banana Walnut Cake
    • Best Earl Grey Shortbread cookies, sprinkled with sugar, on a while plate
      Best Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
    • Bowl of icing with orange and gingerbread on table
      Orange Icing
    • Vegan gingerbread cookies decorated with royal icing.
      Best Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      LEAVE A COMMENT Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Sunita says

      May 23, 2020 at 7:02 pm

      Hi, can we use whole wheat flour?? Is it okay to add full fat milk ?

      Reply
      • Bri says

        May 25, 2020 at 5:36 pm

        Hi Sunita! Haven't tested it that way but you should be able to use whole wheat. All purpose (white) flour would definitely work. Either way, best to go with the weight measurement if you have a kitchen scale at home. If not, just fluff up floor before spooning it into your measuring cup and measure with flat back of a knife. Substituting full fat milk instead of dairy free is fine too. Let it come up to room temp just like the dairy-free instructions. Hope this helps - happy baking!

        Reply
    2. Kerry says

      September 11, 2019 at 10:21 pm

      Is it a cake to eat with a cup of coffee or should there be coffee within the mixture as I can't see any in the ingredients list?

      Reply
      • Bri says

        September 11, 2019 at 10:24 pm

        Hi Kerry! The cake is meant to be eaten with coffee (or tea, if you prefer). It does not have coffee in it. Hope that helps and if you give it a try, let us know what you think!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Evergreen Kitchen! We're all about delicious vegetarian food you actually want to eat. Here you'll find craveable dinner recipes, meal prep ideas, healthy-ish desserts, and everyday cooking resources.

    More about us →

    Get the Cookbook!

    Evergreen Kitchen Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone Cookbook Cover
    Learn more about Evergreen Kitchen:
    Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone

    Spring Features

    • Vegetarian Lentil Nicoise Salad
    • Whipped ricotta dip with honey, thyme, and pepper in a bowl.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
    • Black Lentil Salad with Feta in a bowl with a fork.
      Mediterranean Black Lentil Salad with Feta
    • Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon on a green plate with a fork.
      Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon
    • Lemon Spinach Orzo in a bowl topped with feta and dill.
      One Pan Lemon Spinach Orzo with Feta
    • Roasted veggie sandwich with avaocado and chipotle mayo on a serving platter
      Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Peri Peri

    Fan Favorites

    • Close up of crispy breaded air fryer tofu with panko breadcrumb crust
      Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu
    • Lemon dill and chickpea sandwich cut in half
      Vegan Smashed Chickpea Sandwich
    • Mushroom stroganoff in a white plate with fresh thyme and parmasen
      Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff (One Pot)
    • 12 peanut butter coconut power balls on a marble background
      Best Peanut Butter Coconut Balls
    • Close up of crispy air fryer breakfast potatoes (home fries)
      Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with a piece of bread sitting on the edge of the bowl, with a white spoon and sliced lemon
      Instant Pot Bean Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    Contact us

    Recipes

    Jump to Recipes

    As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Evergreen Kitchen!