Classic Chess Cake

I have been eating this quick and easy dessert for as long as I can remember. It goes by many names: Chess cake, cheese bars, chess pie, gooey butter cake. But no matter what you call it, it is delicious, rich, creamy, and so easy to eat half a pan of. There are many variations of this recipe which use different cake bases, and different cream cheese flavors, but this is the classic southern chess cake. 

To begin, preheat your oven to 325F and get your ingredients together. 

This cake is broken into two pieces. The crust and the cream cheese filling. 

First, combine melted stick of butter, 1 egg, and cake mix. This dough will be very sticky and tacky, so coat your hands or a spoon in oil to help you press the dough into your greased 9x13 dish. Press the dough down flat into the pan. The dough will naturally rise to make a crust up around the cream cheese filling, so there is no need to press the dough up the side of pan. 

Then, prepare your cream cheese filling. For this to go easily, your cream cheese needs to be at room temperature. Do not melt it in the microwave, this will not work if your cream cheese is liquid. You want creamy, smooth cream cheese. So combine your cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1 lb of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla with an electric mixer.

Pour this over top of your crust in the pan, and stick into your preheated oven. Let cook for 55-70 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and the cream cheese filling is firm. You can test to see if it is done by giving the pan a gentle jiggle. The cream cheese filling should be firm, with just a little bit of wiggle. Some people prefer the cream cheese in the middle to be a little more wiggly, or a little more firm. It is all up to your preference. 

As it cools, it will become hard, cracked and flaky on the top, like brownies.