Marbled Cake Bars

Hello, dear readers. Happy holidays!

I think Christmas time is my favorite holiday. It's a time of giving and generosity. It's a time for family and traditions. We've put up a smaller tree this year, decorated the house with all of the collected nutcrackers, and started cooking up the old-time favorite recipes. We even sent a Secret Santa gift to an elderly gentleman at a nearby retirement home.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) I've been cooking a lot of unhealthy but delicious things.  These things are irresistible and should only be eaten in small quantities because they make you pack on that dreaded "winter weight." But that is what New Year's resolutions are for!

Image of cut cake bars on cutting board



I've been making these marbled cake bars for years and they never had an official name.  I've snooped and found out that others call them Can't Leave Them Alone Bars. That name really has no staying power in my memory banks, so I'm just going to keep thinking of them as Marbled Cake Bars. Or maybe they're just those yummy pot-luck cake bars. This recipe is an absolute hit at pot-lucks.  People love these!  They're pretty easy to make, so that's a bonus. I hope you enjoy!

Pinterest pin image of cut cake bars on cutting board


Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter

Method
1. Combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil.  Mix with a wooden spoon. It will be sticky and thick.


image of dough in mixing bowl

2. Spread slightly more than half of the cake mix dough into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray. You might want to nonstick spray a rubber spatula or use slightly damp fingers to flatten the dough out.  Reserve the rest of the dough for step 5.

image of dough spread in baking dish

3. Combine the chocolate, canned milk, and butter in a microwavable bowl.  Nuke it in the microwave about 30-45 seconds then stir.  Nuke another 30 seconds and stir. Repeat nuking and stirring until smooth.

image of milk and chocolate before mixing

image of chocolate mixture

4. Pour the hot melty chocolate mixture over the cake dough in the pan.


image of chocolate mixture poured over dough in baking dish
5. Drop spoonfuls of reserved dough across the top of the chocolate layer until used up.

image of baking dish with drops of dough on top of chocolate mixture

6. Bake in a 350F preheated oven about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.  Don't use a toothpick test because it won't be true.  Just trust that when the top has browned a bit that it is ready.
image of baked bars in pan

7. Let cool overnight, or as long as you can stand it, and cut into tidy squares. You should get 20 bars.

Image of cut cake bars on cutting board
Add caption



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Applesauce Ginger Cake (Like Starbucks Holiday Gingerbread)

Basque Sheepherder Bread

Jenny's Pork Schnitzel Recipe