These frosted banana bars are the banana bars of your dreams. Not quite banana cake, but so much more than a simple loaf of banana bread; these little bars are the perfect treat to use up any of those overripe bananas you've got lying around. These cuties are loaded up with cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and a tiny bit of nutmeg, but all that warm banana flavor still shines right through.
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My favorite thing about this recipe? Bananas are always in season, making these the perfect little dessert any time of the year.
These frosted banana bars only take about 20 minutes of hands-on prep. The buttercream can be thrown together while the bars bake; and because these bars are on the thinner side, they won't take a year and a half to cool down. You can start these bars and have them frosted and ready to eat in less than two hours.
Ingredients
Banana bars
For this particular batch of frosted banana bars, I opted for a few tablespoons of ricotta. Baking with ricotta lends to super rich and delicate desserts. If you don't have ricotta on hand, I've got you covered with substitutions below.
- butter
- white sugar
- brown sugar
- eggs
- ricotta
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- allspice
- nutmeg
- salt
- bananas
Spiced buttercream
For this batch of buttercream, I just went ahead and used more ricotta for that added touch of creaminess. You can absolutely swap for sour cream or heavy cream at a 1:1 ratio.
- butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- ricotta
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- allspice
- salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the edges of the tray with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cream together for 4-6 minutes on medium-high speed, until stiff peaks begin to form.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 30-40 seconds, until fully incorporated. Add ricotta and vanilla, continue mixing for about one minute.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg (if using).
Note: If your eggs appear to be separating or curdling, keep mixing. This can happen if the wet ingredients aren't given enough time to incorporate, or if your butter wasn't quite the right temp.
5. Gently fold the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture, being careful not to over-mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure no large clumps of flour remain. Fold in the mashed banana.
6. Pour the batter into the lined baking sheet, using a silicone spatula or spreader to ensure the batter is evenly spread. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top is turning golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Once the bars are completely cooled, spread the buttercream over the bars with a silicone spreader.
8. Slice and serve!
Substitutions
- Ricotta - Instead of ricotta, opt for sour cream, greek yogurt, or even crème fraîche!
- Vanilla Extract - Amp up the flavor of these bars with your favorite liqueur instead of vanilla. I used triple sec for this batch! Rum would also be delicious.
- Buttercream - If buttercream isn't typically your jam, swap it out for your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe instead.
Storage
These bars are totally fine to be left out for an afternoon or evening, but they're best stored covered in the refrigerator. They'll keep in the fridge for up to five days.
For longer storage, freeze any uneaten bars, tightly wrapped, for up to three months. Make sure to label and date your baked goodies so you don't forget about them!
Top tip
For ultra-clean slicing, use unflavored floss! You can gently pull the floss away from the bars without messing up your gorgeous buttercream, simply wipe it clean before making the next slice.
Related
Looking for more sweets? Try these:
Recipe
Frosted Banana Bars
Print RecipeIngredients
Banana Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 g)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar (150 g)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoon ricotta
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (240 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- 4-5 medium bananas
Spiced Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 lb confectioner's sugar sifted
- 3 tablespoon ricotta or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Banana Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the edges of the tray with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cream together for 4-6 minutes on medium-high speed, until stiff peaks begin to form. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 30-40 seconds, until fully incorporated. Add ricotta and vanilla, continue mixing for about one minute.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg (if using).
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture, being careful not to over-mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure no large clumps of flour remain.
- In a medium bowl, mash the overripe bananas with the back of a fork or potato masher. Alternatively, process them in a food processor in 30 second increments, until smooth. Gently fold the mashed banana into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the lined baking sheet, using a silicone spatula or spreader to ensure the batter is evenly spread. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top is turning golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before gently transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
Spiced Buttercream
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until smooth.
- Add the ricotta and sifted powdered sugar, one to two cups at a time, and continue beating on medium speed until fluffy and smooth.
- Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice. Continue beating for 45 seconds - 1 minute. Cover and set aside until the bars are ready to be frosted.
- Once the bars are completely cooled, spread the buttercream over the bars with a silicone spreader. Slice and serve!
Notes
-
- Ricotta - instead of ricotta, opt for sour cream, greek yogurt, or even crème fraîche!
-
- Vanilla Extract - amp up the flavor of these bars with your favorite liqueur instead of vanilla. I used triple sec for this batch! Rum would also be delicious.
-
- Buttercream - if buttercream isn't typically your jam, swap it out for your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe instead.
-
- Store in the fridge for up to five days.
-
- Freeze any uneaten bars for up to three months, tightly wrapped.
kitchenverve.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes on our site. This information is provided as a courtesy from online calculators and should be used only as an estimate. Although we attempt to provide the most accurate nutritional information possible, these figures will vary based on your chosen ingredients and cooking methods.
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