Chess Bars

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4.87 from 75 votes

These chess bars (or chess squares) are an easy and sweet dessert using cream cheese and yellow cake mix.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chess bars, dessert, easy dessert, holiday dessert

Servings: bars

Calories: 197kcal

Author: Aimee

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter softened 4 oz
1 egg for base
3 eggs for topping
8 oz cream cheese softened
16 oz powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take the cake mix, 1 egg, and softened stick of butter and mix together.
Pat down into a 9x13 pan.
Mix together remaining eggs, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and pour over cake.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325 and bake for 45-50 minutes.
This cake will sink in the middle after it cools.
Let cool completely before cutting. Cut into squares and place any remaining bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container (between layers of wax or parchment paper).

Notes

This recipe has been tested with both 15.25 oz mixes and 13.25 oz. No adjustments are needed for a smaller size, the recipe still works great.

Some tips when making the chess bars recipe:

I'd recommend letting the chess bars completely cool before cutting. You'll get much better results that way. And they are easier to cut. It's hard to resist eating them right away, but trust me.
I cook mine in a parchment-lined pan so I can easily take them out and cut them, but you can also just make them in a cake pan with no parchment and then cut them in the pan. Either works!

Do chess bars need to be refrigerated? Yes! At least, I do. Most things that have cream cheese do better with refrigeration and it keeps them fresh. If I'm serving for a gathering, they are fine if you have them out for a few hours. I do try to put them out at least 30 minutes before serving, just so they get that bit of gooeyness back.

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