Banana bars with cream cheese frosting are soft, moist and flavorful banana cake bars; topped with a rich and sweet cream cheese frosting. Grab two bowls and a whisk to make this sheet cake banana bars recipe the next time you need a quick and easy dessert that everyone is sure to love!
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore an easy and cozy banana bread recipe. I have a few delicious banana based recipes on the blog. My Banana Mini Muffins, Banana Coffee Cake Muffins, and Banana Donuts are just a few of my favorites. I know you’ll love this banana bars recipe too because:
- Simple pantry ingredients: You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a batch of quick, simple and simply decadent cream cheese frosted banana bars.
- Almost one bowl banana cake: These soft and moist banana filled cake bars are quick and easy to make in two bowls. The cream cheese frosting for banana bars also comes together quickly and easily in one bowl.
- You love easy desserts that feed a crowd: If being super quick and easy to make wasn’t reason enough, these banana bars with sour cream make the perfect dessert to feed a lot of people.
Ingredients
Before I show you how to make this recipe for banana bars with cream cheese frosting, make sure you have these simple ingredients ready to go!
Easy Banana Bars
Dry Ingredients: Gather your flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt.
Wet ingredients: Gather your butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
Frosting for Banana Bars
Gather cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk.
Substitutions
Making these moist banana squares is super simple and you probably already have everything you need. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this simple banana bars recipe if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make these banana bars gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour or oat flour. Replace the amount of flour based on weight rather than cups.
- Baking Soda: This provide rise and leavening for the banana cake bars. If needed, replace the baking soda with 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- Ground Cinnamon: This is for flavor. Feel free to use a teaspoon of any warming spice you like.
- Mashed Banana: Make sure the bananas are fully ripened with some brown spots.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted “sweet cream” butter in almost all my baking recipes. This is the most common and widely available butter in the US. If needed, use salted butter (omit the added salt) or a diary free butter you like.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make these bars refined sugar free.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: Feel free to use a full fat greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
- Vanilla Extract: This provides a lovely background flavor for these banana cream cheese bars.
- Cream Cheese: The tangy flavor of cream cheese is hard to match. If you don’t have cream cheese, use an equal amount of mascarpone cheese.
- Powdered Sugar: I like using Wholesome Organic powdered sugar. If you need a lower sugar powdered sugar alternative, I recommend Swerve or Lakanto.
- Milk: This is used to thin the frosting as needed. Feel free to use an equal amount of heavy cream or milk of choice.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bars: Mix 1 cup chocolate chips into the banana cake batter. Top the cream cheese frosting with more chocolate chips.
- Banana Nut Bars: Mix 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, pecans or any other nut you like into the banana cake batter. Top the cream cheese frosting with more chopped nuts.
- Dairy Free Banana Bars: Replace the butter with vegan or dairy free butter. Replace the sour cream with a full fat planted based yogurt. Use a dairy free cream cheese frosting.
- Brown Butter Banana Bars: In a sauce pan or pot, melt ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (141 g) of butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Use the brown butter in place of the melted butter and follow the rest of the recipe as written. Top with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.
How To Make
Learn how to make banana bars with cream cheese frosting in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease a 15 x 10 pan (or 9 x 13). In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- Whisk the bananas until smooth with just a few lumps. Whisk in the, melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet well combined with no visible pieces of flour.
- Pour the banana bar batter into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the banana cake bounces back with gently pressed. The edges of the banana bread bars will also pull slightly away from the pan. Cool the bars in the pan to room temperature. Cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese icing.
- Make the cream cheese frosting for banana bars by beating the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and well combined. Pour in the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon milk. Beat the cream cheese frosting until smooth and well combined.
5. Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the fully cooled banana sheet cake bars. If the frosting is too warm or soft, place the frosted banana bars in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
How To Serve, Store, Freeze and Thaw
Serve these cream cheese banana bars straight from the fridge or let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then enjoy. For PB and banana bars, try topping them with my Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.
Store the frosted banana bars: Once the banana bars have cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the fridge. Slice the banana sheet cake to your desired number of pieces. Place them in a single layer to chill in the fridge until the frosting is set. Then transfer them to an airtight storage container for longer storage. Separate the layers with wax or parchment paper.
Freeze these moist banana bars: Cut the bars into your preferred amount of pieces. Individually wrap each piece of banana cake in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thaw the brownies: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw your moist banana bars is to let them sit overnight in the fridge. Enjoy at room temperature or straight from the fridge (my favorite way)!
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in deliciously chewy brownies.
- Use 10 x 15 inch pan metal pan. This recipe was created using a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan. This recipe will also work well in a 9 x 13 aluminum pan. Cut the recipe in half to bake in an 8 x 8 pan.
- Look for the signs the banana cake is done. Use the baking time as a guide rather than a strict rule. Signs a cake is finished baking is a center that quickly bounces back when gently pressed and baked edges that have slightly pulled away from the edge of the pan.
- Fully cool the banana cake bars: You may be very tempted to frost these bars while they are still warm. However, the banana cake needs to be completely cooled for the frosting to stay on.
- For perfectly sliced banana bars, chill them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes before cutting. Use a sharp knife to cut them and always clean the knife between cuts.
FAQs
Once these moist banana bars are topped with cream cheese frosting, they must be refrigerated.
I am a fan of using sour cream when I can in a recipe. The fat provides extra moisture and a lovely crumb. Yogurt is similar to sour cream if you use a full fat variety.
Yes, due to its high fat content, cream cheese frosting freezes well. Freeze the cream cheese frosting in an air tight container and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Other Cream Cheese Recipes to Try
- Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you try this Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- 1 15 x 18 x 1 Jelly Roll pan (or 13 x 9 x 2)
- 1 whisk
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
Banana Bars
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups mashed bananas about 2 medium bananas
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm
- 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting for Banana Bars
- 8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons (15 ml) milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease a 15 x 10 pan (or 9 x 13). In a bowl, melt the butter and allow to cool until warm to the touch.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt together until well combined.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Whisk the bananas until smooth with just a few lumps. Whisk in the, melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined.1¼ cups mashed bananas, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm, 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs (US), room temperature, 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet well combined with no visible pieces of flour.Pour the banana bar batter into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the batter evenly across the pan.
- Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the banana cake bounces back with gently pressed. The edges of the banana bread bars will also pull slightly away from the pan.
- Cool the bars in the pan to room temperature. Cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese icing.
- Make the cream cheese frosting for banana bars by beating the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and well combined. Pour in the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) milk. Beat the cream cheese frosting until smooth and well combined.8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar, 1 tablespoons (15 ml) milk, as needed
- Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the fully cooled banana sheet cake bars. If the frosting is too warm or soft, place the frosted banana bars in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
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