Banana Snack Cake with Coconut, Chocolate and Pecan Streusel Recipe

You know what drives me nuts? Bananas. Have you noticed how a whole bunch of bananas will always become ready to eat on the same day?

I fight a losing battle with my bananas every week. I want to eat one every day. But it never works out that way. Inevitably I end up having to down five ripe ones in one afternoon. I’ve tried to rip apart bunches of varying ripeness and assemble the perfect hybrid bunch at the store. But I don’t think supermarkets condone that kind of behavior. And I’m a timid rule breaker.

Thankfully, the overripe banana is the baker’s best friend. Unlike wilted lettuce and mealy apples, squishy brown bananas make for fabulous baked goods. I keep them in a big plastic bag in the freezer, adding super-soft specimens weekly. They can hang out there for months, just waiting for their opportunity to shine.

Here I’ve mashed them into this super-moist snack cake. The pecan-and-coconut streusel takes this treat way above the average banana bread, and chunks of chocolate make the tender crumb irresistible.

Make more treats to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Samantha Seneviratne is a New York-based writer, recipe developer and food stylist. She is the author of The New Sugar and Spice (Ten Speed Press) and Gluten Free for Good (Clarkson Potter). She blogs about dessert at Love, Cake.

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