Brown Sugar-Banana Coffee Cakes

Easy, yummy, individual coffee cakes from Sunset magazine.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 18 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 3⁄4 cups brown sugar, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1⁄4 cup butter, cold
• 1⁄4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup  mashed ripe banana
• 2  tablespoons baking powder
• 1⁄4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. To make streusel mixture, in a food processor or a bowl, whirl or mix 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut 1/4 cup cold butter into chunks and add to bowl; pulse mixture or cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. (Note: to save time in the morning when you are making these, you could do the streusel up to a few days ahead, and store in a zipped baggy in the refrigerator).
2. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat remaining 1/4 cup butter and remaining 1 cup brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until well blended. Beat in mashed bananas.
3. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir into banana mixture. Gently fold in sour cream until well blended.
4. Grease and flour muffin pans: either a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan, or 18 regular muffin cups.
5. Divide batter equally among the 6 jumbo (1-cup capacity) or 18 regular (1/3-cup capacity) pans, filling each halfway. Sprinkle streusel evenly over tops of cakes (crumble the streusel first if it sticks together).
6. Bake in a 350° regular or convection oven until streusel is browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in cups, then invert pan to remove. Serve warm or let cool completely.