All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [190]
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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AIMEE’S CHESS CAKE
AIMEE LUREY sent me this recipe many years ago. It was her grandmother’s recipe, one she describes as “sweet and gooey.” Since then I’ve received countless variations; some people call it “gooey butter cake.” Aimee’s recipe called for a half cup of oil but I substituted a stick of unsalted butter, melted. Either makes a crowd-pleasing dessert, best cut into small bars because it’s so rich.
makes:
at least 30 bars
prep:
20 minutes
bake:
28 to 32 minutes
cool:
30 minutes
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13 by 9–inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, butter, and 1 egg in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using your fingertips, press the mixture into the prepared baking pan and set the pan aside.
3. Place the remaining 2 eggs and the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla in the same mixing bowl; no need to wash the beaters. Beat with the electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the batter over the cake mix mixture.
4. Place the pan in the oven and bake the cake until the edges have set and the top is light golden brown, 28 to 32 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, 30 minutes, before cutting the bars (see page 400) and serving.
Keep It Fresh! Store the bars, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to three days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the bars in the pan, covered with aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the bars thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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DON’T FORGET
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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Sugar, Sugar
How much sugar is in that bag or box? Here’s a key.
1 pound of granulated sugar equals 2¼ cups.
A 1 pound box of brown sugar equals 21/3 to 22/3 packed cups.
A 1 pound box of confectioners’ sugar equals 4 cups, unsifted.
A 2 pound bag of brown sugar equals about 5 packed cups.
A 2 pound bag of confectioners’ sugar equals 8 cups, unsifted.
4 pounds of granulated sugar equal 9 cups.
5 pounds of granulated sugar equal 11¼ cups.
LEMON GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
I SHARED A GOOEY BUTTER CAKE RECIPE in the first Cake Mix Doctor book. But I didn’t know I was sharing a recipe that was near and dear to the hearts of those in St. Louis until I went there on a book tour. This regional American cake has a crusty, cakey bottom and a gooey and sweet cream cheese filling, thus the name. It has been fun to learn about the cake through the years—that it was invented by accident by a baker in the 1930s who got his proportions mixed up and ended up with a gooey, and delicious, cake. It’s popularity has spread outside of