Banana Coconut Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

I don't remember my first taste of coconut, but I do remember eating homemade banana bread and banana cake when I was a little girl. I remember thinking that I didn't care all that much for bananas, but I sure do love it baked into bread or a cake.

I decided to give traditional banana cake a twist, because when I think of banana, I think of the tropics, and what could go better with tropical than coconut. The two flavors naturally melded together, and there is something special about topping them off with a cream cheese icing. It is a little bite of heaven.


Banana Coconut Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 ½ cup mashed overly ripe bananas (about 4)
• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all purpose white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cup Baker's angel coconut flakes
• Cooking spray

For this recipe you will need a jelly roll pan, 10 ½ x 15 ½ x 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas and set aside.

With an electric mixer cream together butter; white and brown sugar. Meanwhile sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger, set aside. Add to sugar mixture in mixer bowl: vanilla and eggs, and mix well. Then add banana and mix well, slowly add flour mixture and mix until dry ingredients are blended. Stop mixer and fold in coconut. Spray cooking oil evenly on bottom and sides of pan. Add batter to pan spreading evenly, then gently shake pan from side to side to evenly disperse batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center is clean when pulled out. Cool completely before icing.


Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

With an electric mixer cream cheese and butter together, add vanilla and slowly add sugar. After powdered sugar is blended well raise mixer to high speed and beat until icing fluffs up some, about 5 minutes. Ice the cooled bars immediately.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.