Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

View Recipe: Banana Sheet Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting

Banana bread is great and all, but this sweet spin on our favorite dessert bread takes the proverbial cake. Turn your overripe bananas into a perfectly shareable sheet cake topped with browned butter cream and chopped pecans and blow tired old banana bread out of the water.

Dessert Recipes

By tablespoonrecipes

Try these banana bread brownies with brown butter frosting.

The banana bread layer is dense and moist.

The frosting is rich, sweet, and decadent. The combination is incredible.

These banana bread brownies are moist, dense, and full of delicious banana flavor.

Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

Let's talk about the frosting.....

The frosting is what seals the deal. It is rich, buttery, sweet, and creamy.

I could eat it for days if my waistline would let me. It is freakin' AWESOME!!! (Like lick the bowl good.)

The combination of the frosting layered on the banana bread bars tastes like banana's foster.

You are going to love it!

Watch how to make banana bread brownies

Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

Ingredients for banana bread brownies

You will need the following ingredients to make banana bread brownies:

  • baking soda
  • butter- Salted or unsalted butter will work. Soften to room temperature.
  • sour cream- You can substitute with plain or vanilla real Greek yogurt.
  • bananas- The riper the bananas, the better these banana bars will be.
  • vanilla extract
  • eggs
  • sugar
  • salt
  • all purpose flour
Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

Steps to make brownies

Follow these steps to make the banana bread brownies.

  1. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, eggs, and butter until creamy.
  2. Blend in bananas and vanilla.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until completely blended.
  4. Spread into pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Be careful not to overcook. You don't want to dry them out. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done. They will also continue to bake as they rest in the pan.) In the last 10 minutes of baking, make the frosting.
Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

Ingredients for brown butter frosting

You will need the following ingredients to make the brown butter frosting.

  • powdered sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • butter-I prefer salted to cut the sweetness a bit.
  • whole milk
Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

Steps to make the brown butter frosting

Follow these steps to make brown butter frosting:

  1. Slice butter and add to a medium sized sauce pan.
  2. Cook butter over medium until it reaches a toasty brown color. Watch carefully and stir the entire cooking time to prevent it from scorching. (It only takes a second to burn towards the end of the cooking process if you are not stirring.)
  3. Once the butter turns a toasty brown color, reduce heat to a simmer. Immediately add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until smooth. It should be thicker than a glaze but a little thinner than a frosting.
  4. Spread on Banana Bread while the bread is still warm. Allow to completely cool before serving. Cut into bars.

Note: Cool the brownies at least 2 hours before serving. Do not cut the banana bread brownies before completely cooling. Allowing the brownies to completely cool retains the moisture.

Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

How do you store the banana bread bars?

Store the banana bread bars in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can refrigerate them, but they will loose some of their moisture.

If you are serving them outdoors in high heat, keep them cool in the cooler before serving or the frosting will melt.

If you like this recipe, try some of these:

  • Chocolate Eclair Cake
  • Coconut Cream Poke Cake
  • Brown Sugar Bourbon Fudge
  • Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake
  • Banana Pudding with Sour Cream

Please leave me a comment below if you make these banana bread brownies and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post your picture of your dessert on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!

Banana sheet cake with brown butter frosting

  • 1 ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • cup bananas mashed (3 to 4 bananas)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Brown Butter Frosting

  • ½ cup butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk

Banana Bread Brownies

  • In a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, eggs, and butter until creamy.

    1 ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup butter

  • Blend in bananas and vanilla.

    1½ cup bananas, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until completely blended.

    2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt

  • Spread into 9x 13 greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Be careful not to overcook. You don't want to dry them out. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done. They will also continue to bake as they rest in the pan.)

  • In the last 10 minutes of baking, make the frosting.

Brown Butter Frosting Instructions

  • Slice butter and add to a medium sized sauce pan.

    ½ cup butter

  • Cook butter over medium until it reaches a toasty brown color. Watch carefully and stir the entire cooking time to prevent it from scorching. (It only takes a second to burn towards the end of the cooking process if you are not stirring.)

  • Once the butter turns a toasty brown color, reduce heat to a simmer. Immediately add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until smooth. It should be thicker than a glaze but a little thinner than a frosting.

    4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 tablespoons whole milk

  • Spread on Banana Bread while the bread is still warm.

  • Allow to completely cool before serving. Cut into bars.

Note:

You can add pecans or walnuts to banana bread.

Cool the brownies at least 2 hours before serving. Do not cut the banana bread brownies before completely cooling. Allowing the brownies to completely cool retains the moisture.

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.6mg

How do you make Nigella banana cake?

Preheat oven to 180ºC/360ºF and grease and line a large cake or loaf tin. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence. Add the eggs, milk, bananas, walnuts and then self-rising flour, stirring after each ingredient. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes.

Why is my banana cake not moist?

Add Oil. The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet.

How do you keep banana bread moist on top?

Place a paper towel in the bottom of an airtight storage container OR in an airtight bag. Then place the cooled loaf on top of it. The paper towel will absorb any excess moisture that may leak out over the next few days.

How do you make banana cake Jamie Oliver?

Peel and mash the bananas in a separate bowl with the back of a fork, then whisk in the melted butter, sugar, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and whisk until just combined. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.