Got ripe bananas at home and don’t know what to do with them? Then I have got the perfect recipe for you! Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting – delicious, soft, and comfortable everyday dessert! 

Trust me when I say you’ll go bananas over this dessert!!

Every time I have overripe bananas, I end up making a dessert with them. Banana bread is definitely an excellent choice, but recently, I have started to bake these fantastic banana bars. They are paired with cream cheese frosting making it a dessert you can even serve at a party!! 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe? 

• It’s an Upgrade to Banana Bread: we all love banana bread. They are such a comfort and warm cake to eat. And you can bake them anytime, as the required ingredients are almost always available. But sometimes, it’s nice to switch to a different dessert. Banana bars are a great upgrade here. Serving small banana bars with delicious cream cheese frosting and garnished with almond flakes-I’m sure you’ll end up making these more than you think. 

• The Flavour: Pairing tangy, slightly sour cream cheese frosting with a sweet banana bar is an excellent choice. The sourness cuts down the overly sweet bar and maintains a perfect balance of flavors. 

• Easy To Make: The dessert has a quick and easy recipe to follow. You can turn a basic banana bread into a sophisticated and elegant dessert bar with a few simple steps. 

Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe

• Bananas: It’s very crucial to understand the stage at which bananas are being used in the recipe. Yes, we want ripe bananas (slight overripe will also work), so do not add bananas that are yellow and hard. That won’t give the required flavor as well as texture. Once the bananas turn brown and soft, you should use them for the dessert. Also, do not use too much ripe bananas. Overly ripe bananas can make the bars sticky. 

• Lemon juice: Adding lemon juice to mashed bananas help them from getting too brown. It also adds a good flavor in contrast to sweet bananas. 

• Brown Sugar: Since brown sugar has molasses, it helps maintain moisture in the dessert. It even adds a nice caramelized flavor and great color to the bar. 

• Cream Cheese: Do not confuse cream cheese spread with block; they both are different. For frostings and desserts, cream cheese blocks are used. Find the best quality cream cheese, as the taste varies with the state and quality of cream cheese. 

How To Make Banana Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting 

Preparation: Like I always suggest, this time also, I will recommend doing the prep first and collecting all ingredients and tools you will need to make the two elements for the dessert. Prepare a 6-inch square ring by cling-wrapping it twice from the bottom and greasing the inside with oil. Place butter pares at the bottom. Preheat the oven to 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan). 

Method For Banana Bars

Mash bananas: Mash the bananas in a bowl using a fork. Do not make a paste; lightly mash them up. Add lemon juice to it and mix. 

Wet Ingredients: Add the wet ingredients, which are oil, eggs, and vanilla essence, to the mashed bananas. Mis them well using a spatula. 

Dry Ingredients: It’s time to add sifted dry ingredients, which are all-purpose flour, brown sugar, castor sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine everything well so that a smooth batter is formed.

Add Chocolate: The last step is to add Chopped chocolate chunks to the batter. Fold them in, and your batter is ready. 

Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared ring and bake it at 180C (OTG mode: lower rod only) for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. 

Method For Cream Cheese Frosting

Soften Cream Cheese: In a bowl, soften the cream cheese a little using a spatula. Keep it aside. 

Whip Cream: In a different bowl, take no-dairy whipping cream and start beating it using a hand beater at medium speed. Whip until it gets to the soft peak stage. 

Add Cream Cheese and Vanilla Essence: Now, add the softened cream cheese and vanilla essence to the whipped cream and mix everything until well combined. 

Method For Assembly 

Demould: Once the banana cake has cooled down, demould it and cut the dome using a serrated knife or cake leveler to get a flat surface. 

Cream Cheese Frosting: After cutting the dome, pipe cream cheese frosting on top and spread evenly using an offset spatula. 

Garnish: Finally, garnish the top with some roasted almond flakes and cut the cake into bars using a sharp knife. 

Chef’s Tips For The Recipe

Tip For Bananas

Do mash or beat the bananas into a puree, as that would make the bar very sticky. 

Variations

If you want, you can add some nuts in the batter like walnuts or almonds.

How To Store Banana Bars

Frosted banana bars need to be stored in the refrigerator, which can last up to 3 days. 

Without frosting, the bars should be cling-wrapped and stored in and air tight box in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

More Easy Recipes

If you are looking for more fruit-based desserts, then try my other delicious recipes- Mango Crepe Cake, Strawberry Crunch Cake and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.