Butter Bars

These Butter Bars are rich, gooey, and unbelievably easy to make! With a buttery cake mix crust and a creamy, sweet cream cheese topping, they bake up soft and irresistible. Perfect for potlucks, holidays, or anytime you need a quick crowd-pleasing dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bar recipe, bars, brown butter, butter bars, cake mix, cake mix hack

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Servings

Calories 240kcal

Author Jesseca

Ingredients

Cake Base

1 (15.25oz) yellow cake mix dry
1 large egg
8 tablespoons butter melted

Topping

2 (8oz) blocks cream cheese softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter melted
16 oz powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease a 9x13 pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, one large egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter.
Stir until the mixture is crumbly—it won’t be like a traditional dough, but that’s okay!
Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. A spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup works great for this step.

Topping

In a clean mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter. Beat for another 2 minutes until creamy and well combined.
Stir in the powdered sugar and mix until the batter is smooth.
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake base, spreading it out into an even layer.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the center is set but still slightly soft.
Let the bars cool in the pan before slicing. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
For the cleanest slices, chill them for about 30 minutes before cutting.

Notes

For larger, bakery-style bars, cut into 12 slices. If you’re serving a crowd, you can cut them smaller to make 15 or more bite-sized portions!

Nutrition