Ooey Gooey Lemon Butter Cake

Thankfully all is right with the world and TV is good again!  Last night was the premiere of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.  Yesterday was also one of my best friend's birthday.  So, to celebrate her birthday and kick off the return of some great shows I asked her to go through my Cake Doctor book and select any cake she wanted me to make.  She selected the Lemon Chess Gooey Butter Cake.  I've been calling it the Ooey Gooey Lemon Butter Cake for weeks now, so it kind of stuck, and honestly I like the name Ooey Gooey much better. :-)  This dessert turned out divine.  It almost tastes like a lemon bar, with a buttery crust.  If you do not own any of the Cake Doctor books, I highly suggest investing in one.  They are amazing recipes using a box of cake mix and "doctoring" up the recipe.  I've made some of the best desserts using this book.  Seriously, these recipes make even the most novice baker look like Martha Stewart.

Here is the recipe:

Crust

Ingredients:
1 package plain yellow cake mix
8 tbsp (1 stick) of butter, melted
1 large egg

Filling

Ingredients:
2 large lemons
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted
2 tbsp white or yellow cornmeal
3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions:
1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Set aside an ungreased 13x9 pan.
2.  For the crust, place the cake mix, melted butter and egg in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  The batter should come together in a ball.  With your fingertips, pat the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan, smoothing it out with your fingers until the top is smooth.  Set the pan aside.
3.  For the filling, rinse and dry the lemons well.  Grate the zest from the lemons and set aside; you should have about 2 teaspoons.  Cut the lemons in half, and squeeze the juice into a small; you should have about 6 tablespoons.  Set the juice aside.
4.  Place the cream cheese in the same mixing bowl that was used to make the crust, and with the same beaters (no need to clean either) blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds or so.  Stop the machine and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, melted butter and cornmeal and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar (1 cup at a time).  Beat on medium speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute more.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour the filling onto the crust and spread with the rubber spatula so that the filling covers the entire surface and reaches the sides of the pan.  Place the pan in the oven.
5.  Bake the cake until it is well browned but the center still juggles when you shake the pan, 45-47 minutes (I suggest checking at 30 minutes, especially if your oven bakes fast).  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool, 30 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

Store this cake, covered with foil, at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months.  Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

When I first read the recipe I thought it sounded a little involved, but it really wasn't difficult to execute.  I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as the birthday girl and the rest of us did.