Ooey Gooey Red Velvet Bars

Let’s talk about a dessert that is so easy, a child could do it. I know this because mine did. The first time we put this together was for my eldest daughter’s baby shower. Her younger sister made these for her since she loves red velvet. I was so busy getting things decorated and working on a number of other projects that having this recipe on hand was a life saver!

As you can imagine, hosting a baby shower for your first grandchild is quite exciting and I wanted us all to enjoy every minute we could. That meant, that the food we had would serve itself! And this one does just that!

Now I won’t beat around the bush, this thing is rich! But that’s going to work in your favor if you find yourself needing to please a large crowd. In other words, it’s a dessert that stretches nicely.

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So whatever event or gathering you come across, I think you’ll find these red velvet bars are a good fit … and a yummy one too!

I’m afraid this is going to be the shortest blog post I have on my sight. Know why? It’s just that darn simple!

For the base layer, mix together the cake mix with one egg, french vanilla syrup, and melted butter. It’s going to be slightly thick which is going to make it easy to press out on the bottom of the cake pan. Make sure your layer is as uniform as possible. *NOTE: The syrup can be found in the coffee area in your grocery store.

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Yes, my ‘batter’ is funny looking but only because that’s how thick it is. I used the back of my spatula to press it down. Remember, you don’t want thicker parts then others or it will not cook evenly.

Once the red velvet layer is set in place, it’s the gooey layer’s turn!

When mixing this layer it’s important to allow the powdered sugar to incorporate a little at a time. Start by using a good stand mixer on a medium speed to whip room temperature cream cheese. Once it has a smooth consistency, change to a whisk attachment. Now you’re ready to add the melted butter, the french vanilla syrup, and start adding the eggs one at a time.

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Once the eggs are completely incorporated in the cream cheese and butter, start adding the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on medium speed until you no longer see sugar (remember to scrape the sides and bottom). At this point, the mixture will be thick but not too thick to pour into your cake pan. Again, make sure the top layer is uniform in thickness.

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In a preheated oven, place the cake pan on a lower rack for 30 minutes. Once you see the top layer start to brown on the edges, move the cake pan to a higher rack for the remaining 15-20 minutes.

The middle of the cake will still be ‘jiggly’ but not excessively. Remember, this is a gooey recipe, it will not firm up like a normal ‘cake’. When the middle starts to turn golden, it should be done.

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Now comes the patience part! Try really hard and let this cool before you cut into it. Because of how gooey this cake tends to be, if you cut too soon, the top layer will not have time to set and you might end up with a mess. Now if you want to cut it, just be prepared to fight over who gets to lick the knife!