Easy Pumpkin Banana Coffee Cake

There’s nothing quite like getting home from a week away and being handed ready-homemade meals. That was my “welcome home” blessing from my girls this weekend. After being with my parents for eight days while my dad has been in the hospital (and now in rehab), I came home on Friday. My body, heart and emotions were spent, but I was so thankful I could be there to help. It’s a joy, and the Lord gave strength each step of the way.

Coming home was God’s timing, which made it especially sweet. Whitney was in Tennessee visiting her sister for 24 hours, so we all got to be together (another blessing!). Then before we parted, they handed me containers of food that they had prepared for us, to lighten my load! Supper/lunch meals consisting of a chicken casserole, salad, homemade bread, and chili. Then for breakfast, Pumpkin Banana Coffee Cake and bananas. I cried. How thoughtful. How appreciated! It truly touched my heart.

The next morning when I ate my breakfast, I was blown away at the taste of this coffee cake! My daughter, Alli, googled a recipe for a pumpkin and banana bread and came across one on Betty Crocker’s site. It uses a cake mix as the base, so the assembly is super simple! She omitted the chocolate chips they added, and also decided to make it in an 9×13″” pan, rather than a loaf pan. Here’s how she made it:

Easy Banana Pumpkin Coffee Cake

1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 bananas)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Steps

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bottoms only of an 9×13″ pan.
• 2 In large bowl, beat all ingredients except chocolate chips with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
• Alli added a Streusel topping over the coffee cake. Here’s a recipe for one from King Arthur Flour.
• 3 Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I’d start with about 30 minutes) Cool 10 minutes.

I heated my piece up in the microwave so it would be warm, but you could eat it room temperature, too. The cake combined with the streusel topping made a perfect combination. If you’re looking for the perfect fall breakfast or brunch recipe, you need to make this!

Eating these meals from my girls makes me understand the term, “Comfort Food.” We don’t eat to be comforted – that’s what God’s Spirit does for us, but food is needful, and food that is prepared for you by others, is indeed comforting. When we eat the meals they prepared, we will be reminded of their thoughtfulness, and it will bring a whole other level of “filling” us.

Have you had others share a comforting meal at a difficult time? How did it minister to you?