Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This might be the longest recipe name I have. It's worth typing it out, though...promise!

Before I get to posting about the coffee cake, I'd like to take a moment and be thankful that we survived another bout of the stomach bug. December 2014 (Christmas Eve to be exact), I was hit with the bug for the first time since seventh grade. Dan had it two days prior. Well this time around, we both got it at the same time. Luckily, it only lasted a bit over a day, and we have now recovered, disinfected, and would like to put it behind us. Thankfully, our family did a full day of babysitting yesterday while we wasted away on the couch. But really though, I escape it for 18 years and now I feel like I'm going to get hit with it once a year.

Anyways, this recipe is from a week ago, pre-sickness. I'm feeling better, but not enough to start baking away. This recipe is easy and super yummy. I brought most of it to work to share and it was eaten right up. Other than bananas and cream cheese, I always have everything I need to make this, so this recipe is a keeper. Basic ingredients and it's pretty simple, you can't ask for more in a baked good.

Can I make a confession?

I started this post 4 days ago.... Then I got distracted/busy, maybe a little lazy after that, and then tired after that and never finished it. It's been a long week of recovering from the aforementioned stomach bug, and then P ended up with a cold. So now, she's hacking away, all super congested and throws an absolute nutty when we try to suction her nose. I can't blame her, I would too, but she wasn't a fan of the doctor trying to clean wax out of her ear this morning either. Poor babe.

I guess I can get to posting the recipe now, since I made this almost two week ago. The original recipe includes walnuts in the cake and streusel, as well as a vanilla glaze for the top. I omitted both.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
From Carlsbad Cravings

Cinnamon Streusel

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Banana Cake

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1.5 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large ripe bananas)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/4 cups sour cream

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup Reserved Batter (see instructions)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a tube pan on all inside surfaces with a non-stick spray that contains flour, or butter and flour your pan. Don't just use cooking spray, it will stick. Set aside.
2. For the streusel, add flour, brown sugar and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle cold butter over top and pulse until the mixture resembles small pebbles. (You may also combine in a bowl and cut butter in by hand). Set aside in the refrigerator.
3. For the cake, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy on medium high speed, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each egg. Mix in vanilla and bananas until just until combined.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture, alternating with sour cream (flour, cream, flour, cream, flour). Beat until just combined. Measure out 1/4 cup batter and set aside for cream cheese filling. Stir chocolate chips into remaining batter until just until combined.
6. Measure out 1 cup batter (to top cream cheese layer) and spoon the rest of the batter into the prepared pan.
7. To your now empty mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup reserved batter, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat on medium high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Spoon cream cheese filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Spread reserved 1 cup batter evenly over filling (it will be very thin).
8. Tap pan on counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles then sprinkle evenly with streusel.
9. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees F or until toothpick inserted comes out clean (without inserting in cream cheese). Let baked cake cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Gently invert cake onto a baking sheet, remove pan, and invert back onto cooling rack streusel side up. Let cool to room temperature.
10. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.