Buttery, sweet, chewy, and very, very gooey.
Wonderfully so.
Leave it up to Christina Tosi to transform the gooey butter cake into easy, sliceable bars made with a cake mix.
These just might convince you yet to keep a box mix in your pantry.
P.S. Have you noticed that chewy, gooey, and Louie all rhyme, but are spelled in distinct ways? Mind blown.
Gooey Butter Cake Bars
exceedingly lightly adapted from Momofuku Butter Bars
ingredients:
for the crust:
1 box cake mix- I used funfetti; choose a vanilla-flavored mix
4 ounces butter, melted (browned if you’re feeling frisky)
1 egg
for the filling:
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
16 ounces powdered sugar
big pinch sea salt
splash of vanilla extract
directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
Stir together your cake mix, butter, and 1 egg, until a stiff and slightly crumbly mixture comes together. Press into pan.
Beat the cream cheese and eggs until fluffy, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and sea salt. Spread the mixture over the crust.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center is cooked but still jiggles slightly when shaken.
The edges should be golden brown and puffed.
Allow to cool completely (seriously! I put mine out on my porch in below freezing weather to let them completely freeze before even attempting to cut them). Cut into desired squares. They will not be neat, nor will be the consumption of them. There is absolutely no way around it; they’re meant to be messy!