White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars

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Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars —Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit at parties and are fast, easy and foolproof!

stack of two chocolate cake bars with cream cheese filling

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars

Happy April Fool’s Day. These chocolate cake bars with cream cheese filling are not a joke. They are 100% real. Really sinful and easy. Just the way I like my desserts.

What we’re working with here is a base layer of Devil’s Food Cake chocolate cake. Topped with white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips.

A can of sweetened condensed milk is mixed with cream cheese and poured over the top. While baking, the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese turns into an ooey, gooey hot mess.

The top layer resembles cream cheese frosting in that it doesn’t fully set up, which helps to keep these so chewy and velvety. As an added bonus, that layer creates built-in frosting, so you don’t have to bother with that step because to serve unfrosted bars would be a cruel April Fool’s joke.

stack of two chocolate cream cheese cake bars

The cake rises a bit while baking, pushing up from the bottom of the pan. The layers stay separated yet combine just enough to make each bite full of chocolate cake and chocolate chips and sweetened cream cheese.

The cake is chewy, some chocolate chips remain crunchy while others melt, and the cream cheese is smooth. I love lots of different textures in each bite.

These taste like chocolate cake, not brownies, and are an extremely moist and rich cake at that.

I despise dry baked goods and two kinds of melted chocolate, a stick of butter, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a slab of cream cheese tend to keep things moist and full of flavor.

These bars are not over-the-top sweet. Over the top rich and decadent? Yes.

stack of three chocolate cream cheese cake bars

What’s in Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars? 

To make these chocolate cake bars with cream cheese filling, you’ll need: 

  • Devil’s Food cake mix 
  • Unsalted butter
  • Egg
  • Vanilla extract
  • Brewed coffee
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips 
  • White chocolate chips 
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Cream cheese

Kitchen counter spread of devil's food cake mix and chocolate chips with other ingredients

How to Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars

Make the chocolate cake layer part by mixing cake mix, an egg, and a stick of butter. Press it firmly into the pan. It will be sticky and a little tricky to work with, but just keep pressing and finessing it.

Make sure to wash your hands afterward so no one thinks you were playing in the dirt. No, silly, you were playing in the chocolate cake. Again.

Top the cake layer with the white and dark chocolate chips.

Pre-baking White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars

And then flood it with sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese.

It looks soupy and like there is perhaps too much liquid and how could that all bake off and get soaked up, but it does, and it all works out. Very well.

Pre-baking White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars flooded with condensed milk

The top layer of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk remains just a little soft and gooey, a bit loose and unset.

The inside of the bars definitely remain soft and gooey.

four stacks of chocolate cream cheese cake bars

Can I Use Another Kind of Cake Mix? 

Yes, you can use any chocolate cake mix you like. 

Can I Omit the Brewed Coffee? 

Yes, you may substitute it with water. However, the coffee doesn’t make these bars taste at all like coffee. It simply enhances the chocolate flavor. 

stack of three chocolate cake bars with cream cheese filling

Can I Make the Cake Layer From Scratch? 

Most likely, yes. You could make the chocolate cake batter and then incorporate the white chocolate chips, etc. after you’ve made the cake batter. This is my favorite scratch chocolate cake.

Being that I haven’t tried this recipe with a from-scratch cake base, I can’t give particulars on baking time and so on, but it’s a jumping off place. 

How to Store Chocolate Cake Bars

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

stack of three chocolate cake bars with cream cheese filling

Tips for Making Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars

Note that this recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, NOT evaporated milk. They’re two totally different products. 

A few readers have added peppermint extract to the cream cheese mixture, which sounds divine. Add a small splash if you’re feeling adventurous! 

If you plan on serving these at a party later, then I don’t recommend freezing them beforehand. But if you’ll just be enjoying them yourself, then freezing leftovers is fine. 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars —Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit at parties and are fast, easy and foolproof!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars —Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit at parties and are fast, easy and foolproof!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars —Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit at parties and are fast, easy and foolproof!

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4.40 from 33 votes

White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars

By Averie Sunshine
Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit at parties and are fast, easy and foolproof!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 27 minutes
Additional Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 24
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Ingredients  

Cake Bars

  • 1 box devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix, or your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, bourbon vanilla is especially nice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cold brewed coffee or water, optional if necessary
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup white chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Layer

  • 1 can, 14-ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I use whipped cream cheese)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, clear imitation vanilla extract will keep this layer whiter

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla and mix either with a mixer, with a spoon, or with your hands, kneading it together. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the coffee (will deepen the flavor and does not make them taste like coffee) or water if necessary.
  • Press the dough it into the prepared pan. It will be tacky, sticky, and a bit tricky to work with, but keep pressing, spreading, and finessing it.
  • Sprinkle the white and dark chocolate chips evenly over the top.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to gently spread and even it if necessary.
  • Bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to barely brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, or until the middle has barely set, taking care not to overbake. Note that the middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set up more after they have cooled.
  • Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 115kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 32mg, Sugar: 9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Recipes Using Cake Mix: 

ALL OF MY CAKE MIX RECIPES! 

Chocolate Turtle Cake— This decadent poke cake is topped with whipped topping, salted caramel sauce, mini chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. It’s so easy to make, and a huge hit at parties!

Coffee Crumb Cake— This coffee crumb cake recipe couldn’t be easier to make! It’s made with boxed yellow cake mix, which is used in both the batter and the crumble topping.

Gooey Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies — An EASY five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy strawberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and spiked with sweetened condensed milk for the GOOEY win!!

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies — Foolproof cookies made with just 5 ingredients!! If you’re craving chocolate and want to make super EASY cookies that are soft, FUDGY, and delicious, this is the recipe to make!!

S’mores Cake — Chocolate cake gets poked all over and soaked in a marshmallow creme mixture before being topped with crushed graham crackers, toasted marshmallows, and hot fudge sauce. 

Rum Cake – A double dose of rum in this EASY cake that’s supremely moist, buttery, and literally juicy from all the rum!! The perfect make-ahead holiday entertaining cake that everyone will LOVE!!

Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake — Loaded with juicy cherries and topped with an easy homemade chocolate frosting. I used a few shortcuts in this recipe to save time, but this cake tastes completely homemade! 

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

    1. I have many recipes for zucchini muffins. Google which one you want and I’m sure it will come up.

  1. These earned best dessert and best overall dish at my family reunion!!! We have a big contest every year and I had so many people raving about them!! I’m doing all the desserts for a picnic wedding and I’m making 3 batches of these for part of the desserts!! I’m drooling just thinking about them!!!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it’s such a crowd fave and you’re making 3 batches!

  2. Is it safe to assume that this recipe can’t be made from scratch? I live in a city that sells neither boxed cake mix nor white chocolate chips. They sell white chocolate candy bars and I’ve seen how to make your own cake mix recipes from Iambaker.net…. is it worth my time to attempt making them? It may be a silly concept, but these bars look heaven sent. I’m dying to make them! Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

  3. Okay so first, I’ve never left a comment on a blog before. That being said I felt like I’ve traveled the ENTIRE world wide Web looking for this recipe! I made them once for a party and used a link on facebook to find your recipe, now I’m using this same recipe to try to break my Mom and Sister’s addiction to a similar recipe however that recipe makes cupcakes. So after a draining but relentless search for this recipe, I will bookmark, and pin this so that this amazing recipe never escapes me!

    1. Yes you could – I wouldn’t do it for a special event or party but if you make the pan and it’s just for you and you want to put half the pan in the freezer for a rainy day, go for it.

  4. I made these today as a quick dessert for a Mother’s Day lunch and everyone loved them. I was a little hesitant reading the comments but they turned out fine and were quite easy to make. Very quick. The mix I used was 16.5 oz. I don’t know why these couldn’t turn out for some people- I must agree that it’s a baking issue, not ingredients. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have a very strong cream cheese taste so next time I will adjust it for more flavor.

    1. I’ve determined that some people just aren’t bakers since this is pretty much as easy as cracking open some cake mix and mixing it together and then adding some juicy cream cheese. Not super hard but baking isn’t everyone’s forte :) Glad you enjoyed the bars and found them easy to make! Yes, just add more cream cheese next time if you want a bolder cream cheese flavor!

  5. I made these yesterday to take to a party. They where easy to make and turned out perfect. Everyone loved them. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Thanks for trying them and for LMK that everyone loved them & they turned out perfectly! Wonderful feedback!