Banana Bars with Penuche Frosting
Soft, sweet Banana Bars are topped with an almost fudge-like penuche frosting made with caramelized brown sugar and are the perfect way to use up the overripe brown bananas sitting on your counter! This recipe is essentially a frosted banana sheet cake, but great for cutting into bars and serving a crowd!
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 292kcal
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (281g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Penuche Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed (200g)
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a half sheet pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy and light.
- Add eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add the mashed bananas and sour cream, mixing and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing just until incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Frosting
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Add the milk, then remove from the heat.
- Working quickly, whisk in the powdered sugar and pour over the still warm cake. Use a spatula to immediately spread the frosting around the top of the cake while it is still hot, then let it sit for 30 minutes to set up.
Notes
- Adding nuts: These bars would be delicious with the addition of chopped walnuts or pecans, either in the cake itself or sprinkled on top of the penuche frosting before it has a chance to set.
- Cream cheese frosting: If you would rather have a more traditional cream cheese frosting, this one is our favorite.
- Storage: These will keep for about 5 days on the counter stored in an airtight container. Or you can freeze the bars for up to 2 months. Let thaw on the counter for a couple of hours before serving. The bars are delicious warm, cold, or room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 326IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg