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Rhubarb Gooey Butter Cake Bars

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Rhubarb Gooey Butter Cake Bars
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  • Prep 15 min
  • Total 3 hr 0 min
  • Servings 24
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A riff on the classic gooey butter cake, these custardy dessert bars (made easy with Betty Crocker™ yellow cake mix!) are filled with chopped rhubarb. If you only have fresh rhubarb on hand, or it’s not in season and frozen is available, this recipe can work equally well with whichever you have on hand. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or top with a from-scratch sweetened whipped cream for an added level of deliciousness! It’s a great potluck treat and travels well.
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Apr 19, 2019

Ingredients

Cake Base

Filling

  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups frozen cut rhubarb, thawed, drained or chopped fresh rhubarb

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • Serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired

Steps

  • 1
    Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
  • 2
    In large bowl, stir Cake Base ingredients until well blended. Spread in pan.
  • 3
    In another large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in 1/2 cup melted butter. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in rhubarb. Pour batter evenly into pan over cake base.
  • 4
    Bake 38 to 43 minutes or until golden brown on edges and center is set. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
  • 5
    When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon powdered sugar over top. Using sharp knife, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows, cleaning knife blade after each cut. Serve with whipped cream. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    To make 2 cups whipped cream, place medium deep bowl and beaters in freezer or refrigerator to chill. Place 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in bowl. Beat on low speed until mixture begins to thicken. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and then beat on high speed until whipped cream forms soft peaks.
  • tip 2
    To quickly soften cream cheese, remove from wrapper, and place on microwavable plate; microwave uncovered on High about 15 seconds or just until softened.
  • tip 3
    Be sure to drain the frozen cut rhubarb well after it's thawed to remove any excess liquid before stirring into filling.
  • tip 4
    Recipe uses frozen rhubarb (thawed) but can use fresh if it's in season.

Nutrition

260 Calories, 12g Total Fat, 2g Protein, 34g Total Carbohydrate, 26g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar
Calories
260
Calories from Fat
110
Total Fat
12g
19%
Saturated Fat
7g
37%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
60mg
20%
Sodium
230mg
10%
Potassium
50mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate
34g
11%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
26g
Protein
2g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
8%
8%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
8%
8%
Iron
2%
2%
Exchanges:
1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • While we love a classic gooey butter cake, we were looking for a streamlined, summertime recipe that would feed a crowd and travel well. That’s how this recipe came to fruition, and it couldn’t have turned out better with the rich, sweet and gooey texture, it really captures the defining characteristic of this classic cake and goes perfectly with tart rhubarb. Psst … If you’ve never tried gooey butter cake, it’s a native of St. Louis “born” of a happy accident that happened during the Great Depression. As the story goes, a baker used the wrong type of butter—a softer butter that was used for adhering decorations to pastries, instead of the firm butter used for baking cakes—since ingredients were too precious to waste, the cake got baked anyway. The result was a dense and fudgy cake that quickly became a bestseller spreading across the city and eventually across the whole country. See for yourself why this cake has such staying power by baking Betty’s Triple Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake or Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake. If you fall for these bars, you’ll also want to check out our Gooey Sugar Cookie Bars and Cake Mix Gooey Butter Cookies. Do you have rhubarb growing in your backyard? We’ve got more recipes featuring this prolific vegetable—yes, it is actually a veggie, not a fruit. From pies and cakes to muffins and crisps, find all the rest of Betty’s best rhubarb recipes right here.
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