I am still wondering what is going to happen this year on Thanksgiving. I know that the people who would normally fly in for the holiday will not be flying this year, and I don’t blame them. Many of them are elderly, and flying is not a good option for them. With this in mind, I have no idea what my normally festive holiday is going to look like. I know so many of you look forward to seeing the pictures, but right now it is not looking like the holiday will be so elaborate and festive. I will keep you all posted.

Today, the weather was actually cool for the first time. I love these days, when the sun is shiny and the days are just a little crisp. Usually, during these months, my husband and I will go antiquing. Over the years, we have accumulated many antique dinner and salad plates for Thanksgiving. When I got married, many moons ago, I had no registry, and fine china was out of the question because it was just too expensive. Looking back on it now, I would not have had china for 50 people, and in all probability, my taste would have changed, and I never would have used it. 

I am lucky to have my mother’s china, but there are not nearly enough plates and I would be too afraid to use it. If I broke a plate, my heart would break with it. I have it beautifully displayed in my kitchen, behind glass door cabinets for everyone to see. I feel comforted when I see it. It is like having a little bit of my mom with me always.

Because the plates are too precious to use, my husband and I made a plan to buy separate pieces of china, each with its own pattern. We had such a fun time, and to my surprise, my husband really enjoyed the hunt and became pretty good at finding the right pieces. It took several years to buy enough to be able to use them for the holidays. Because I was looking for single plates, I often got really good deals on the expensive ones. They discounted them a lot because, let’s face it, not many people are looking for just one plate.

Several years ago, we finally accumulated enough plates to use the entire “set.” What a great accomplishment that was! My husband and I are so proud of our china because we handpicked every plate with love.

I know Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but you surely do not have to wait until then to make this fabulous cake. The sour cream, eggs and buttermilk ensure that this cake is both moist and fluffy. The vanilla combines beautifully with the bananas, giving it a deeper flavor than a regular banana cake. The Nutella, brown sugar, and banana filling make this cake wonderfully addicting. The topping adds another layer of savory goodness, and the result is a crunchy crumb topping, a heavenly moist cake concealing a luscious layer of banana and of course, Nutella. This is a “must try.”

This cake is courtesy of Ovenly, and will serve 12 people who will love this cake for Thanksgiving, or any other day of the year.

Ingredients for Banana Nutella Coffee Cake:

For the Cake:

1 cup of unsalted butter
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs at room temp
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla

For the Filling:

2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1/4 cup brown sugar

For the Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13×9-inch pan.

Melt the 1 C of butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and melted butter.

Using a spatula, mix the dry into the wet until combined.

Layer half the batter into the pan.

Lay the sliced bananas on top.

Drizzle on the nutella spread.

You may need to warm the spread to make it thin and pourable.

Next, carefully layer the remaining batter on top of the bananas and nutella. I used a spatula to smooth out the batter because it’s really thick.

Make crumble topping:

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool.

Whisk remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Add the melted butter with your hands or a folk and mix until crumbly.

Sprinkle topping over coffee cake batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until set when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Make 12 generous squares

It’s that simple!