Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting
I found these on the Life's Simple Measures blog and the cake is the BEST banana bread that I've ever had. The cake is extremely dense and moist and the frosting is fantastic.
I found these on the Life's Simple Measures blog and the cake is the BEST banana bread that I've ever had. The cake is extremely dense and moist and the frosting is fantastic.
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- banana bread bars
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3-4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- brown butter frosting
- Carbohydrate 17.4920875145949 g
- Cholesterol 68.4902083450957 mg
- Fat 11.8817569187921 g
- Fiber 0.884894171915359 g
- Protein 3.19221955692219 g
- Saturated Fat 6.19391891174993 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (72g)
- Sodium 3662.1482898693 mg
- Sugar 16.6071933426795 g
- Trans Fat 1.00345293508247 g
- Calories 187 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 15x10 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugar, cream cheese, butter and eggs until creamy.
- Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.
- In another large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add to egg mixture in thirds and blend for one minute.
- Stir in walnuts.
- Spread batter evenly into pan.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cut into bars.
- Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat until boiling.
- Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
- Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).
- Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).
When oven space is limited by a crowded kitchen, baking a standard loaf pan gives way to the sheet pan method. Spreading banana batter across a 15x10 inch surface dramatically reduces baking times down to 20 to 25 minutes while yielding twenty-four uniform squares. Overripe fruit containing black-spotted skins provides the necessary natural sweetness and moisture without requiring extra liquids.
Mastering Brown Butter Frosting
Transforming dairy solids into a nutty glaze requires continuous visual monitoring over medium heat. Watch for the butter foaming up before settling into amber specks that smell distinctly toasted. Pour powdered sugar and milk into the hot pan immediately to halt the cooking process and prevent burning. Spreading this warm mixture over freshly baked bars allows the frosting to self-level smoothly before hardening.
- Ensure butter reaches a delicate brown hue rather than black to avoid bitter notes.
- Stir flour mixtures in thirds to prevent gluten overdevelopment in dense batters.
- Whisk powdered sugar vigorously with milk until the consistency falls between a glaze and a heavy frosting.
