Soft Banana Bread Cake Bars with Rich Brown Butter Frosting
These Banana Bread Cake Bars are soft, moist, and full of classic banana flavor, then topped with rich brown butter frosting for an easy dessert that feels extra special without much fuss!
Servings: 9 Bars
Ingredients
For the Banana Bread Cake Bars
- 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas about 1–2 bananas
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Brown Butter Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 –2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Banana Bread Cake Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- Whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the mixture and gently mix.
- Add the flour and fold just until the batter is combined and smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25–32 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Brown Butter Frosting
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook for 4–6 minutes, until the butter melts, foams, and turns golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for 5–10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour in the browned butter and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy, adding additional heavy cream as needed to reach a spreadable consistency. Spread the frosting over the fully cooled bars, slice, and serve.