Banana Coffee Cake With Chocolate Chip Streusel

      Oh my, I can hardly even begin to tell you how incredibly delicious this Banana Coffee Cake With Chocolate Chip Streusel is.   From a January 2003 issue of Bon Appetit, this moist, sweet cake with a gooey, crispy topping is a five-star recipe. 
     Unless you want to cut slices from your dutch oven, you'll need to line it with parchment beforehand.  In my 10 inch oven, I started the cake with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom, 16 in a ring around the edge of the lid with 6 briquettes spaced evenly in the middle.  After 20 minutes I rotated the lid and removed 2 coals from the center of the lid.  After 40 minutes the topping was brown and a tester came out clean.  Resist the urge to remove the cake before it cools.  I let it sit in my oven for 30 minutes before removing it, while it was still warm, with the parchment paper.  It started to crumble when I used a spatula to transfer it to a clean plate so give it some time to set up.  Also, I omitted the walnuts and you'd never know they were missing.
     Most coffee cakes are fairly dry, they're supposed to be to soak up your hot beverage, but the mashed bananas make this one wonderfully moist.  Serve it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a midnight snack, once you bite into those sweet layers of melted chocolate and cinnamon you'll see why this cake gets such rave reviews.
    
Banana Coffee Cake With Chocolate Chip Streusel
Streusel Topping
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 oz.)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tblsp cinnamon
Coffee Cake Batter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 Tblsp buttermilk

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven, line with parchment paper.
     Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended.
     Set streusel aside.
     Combine all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
     Using electric mixer, if possible, beat sugar, butter and egg in large bowl until fluffy.
     Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk.
     Add dry ingredients and blend well.
     Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared dutch oven.
     Sprinkle with half of streusel.
     Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean.
     Cool completely in dutch oven; lift from oven using parchment paper and transfer to plate. 

Layer cake batter with streusel topping in parchment lined 10 inch oven

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until tester comes out clean

I know it's torture but try if you can to let cake cool
before lifting from oven