Chess Squares (Also Called Gooey Butter Cake, Neiman Marcus Bars, and About Nine Other Things)
Five ingredients. Two layers. One bowl you don’t even wash in between. Chess squares start with a boxed yellow cake mix pressed into the bottom of a 9×13 pan, then get topped with a cream cheese and powdered sugar layer that bakes up gooey and golden. They take about fifteen minutes of hands-on work, and they’re even better the second day — which makes them just about the easiest thing you can bring to a potluck, a holiday table, or a church dinner. If you’ve ever heard someone call these gooey butter cake, Neiman Marcus bars, Texas gold bars, or cream cheese squares, this is that recipe.
The Story Behind These
I was in sixth grade the first time I tasted these.
Somebody else’s mom brought them to a party at school, and I had never had anything like them. That gooey top layer, that buttery bottom — I thought they were so good that I went straight home and told my mama she had to get the recipe. And she did. She just called them squares. That’s all. The original recipe I got from that lady called them chess squares, and that’s the name that stuck with me.
But here’s the thing about this dessert. Everybody calls it something different. Gooey butter cake. Neiman Marcus bars. Butter cake. Cream cheese squares. Cheesecake squares. Texas gold bars. Chess pie cookies. St. Louis butter cake. The original name goes all the way back to the 1930s, before cake mix was popular for this dish, and it was called deep butter cake.
My friends growing up gave it a name nobody else uses. We called it BWA — Better With Age — because it tastes even better the second day after you make it.
I had forgotten until recently that it wasn’t one of the girls who came up with that. It was Daryl, the husband of one of my friends. They were high school sweethearts, just dating back then, and he’s the one who started calling them BWA because they absolutely taste better on day two. Daryl, if you’re reading this, shout out to you. It’s a great name, and it’s a great way to remember good times with friends.
I hadn’t made these in a long while. Darren tells me it’s been thirteen years, six months, and two days, which is a bit of exaggeration… but it has been a long time. There’s a lot of things I haven’t made as much since we became empty nesters — we just don’t need as much food around the house as we did when the kids were home. But I made a batch this week, and I’ve already texted a few of my high school friends who live close by. I’ve got boxes of chess squares ready to go to them.
The Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes, plus overnight resting if you can wait Servings: 24 squares Pan: 9×13
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan — I save the wrapper from my stick of butter and use that, and it works perfectly. Just be sure to come up the sides a little bit.
- Melt your stick of butter and set it aside for a minute.
- Put the dry cake mix in your mixing bowl. If your box is slightly bigger or smaller than 15.25 ounces, don’t worry about it — this recipe is forgiving. And if you’d rather use your own dry ingredients instead of a mix, you can do that too.
- Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the cake mix, and scrape every bit of it out. Crack one of your eggs into a small bowl first to check for shells, then add it in.
- Mix until it comes together, then stop right away. It’s going to look quite thick, and that is exactly the way it’s supposed to look. If you don’t have a mixer, a bowl and a spoon will do this just fine.
- Grease your hands up a little and press the mixture into the bottom of your pan, getting it as even as you can. This is the most work in the whole recipe, and it still only takes about half a minute to a minute.
- Now for the second layer. Put the softened cream cheese in your mixing bowl. Don’t wash the bowl or the paddle — there’s very little left from the first mixture and it won’t hurt a thing. That saves you some time and a dish.
- Add the powdered sugar. Spoon it loosely into your measuring cup rather than packing it in. You don’t have to be as precise with powdered sugar as you do when you’re measuring flour.
- Crack your remaining two eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then add them to the mixing bowl.
- Mix slowly at first so the powdered sugar doesn’t go everywhere, then turn it up. Scrape down the sides — that powdered sugar likes to stick to the edges. Mix a little more until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust layer in the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You’re looking for a nice golden brown on top.
- Let them cool completely before you cut. Run a knife around the edge of the pan first — it helps loosen them. You can also just use your spatula as you cut individual pieces.
- If you can wait, let them sit overnight. They’re wonderful as soon as they’ve cooled, but they really are better with age.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are they called chess squares? The name comes from chess pie, a Southern classic these bars resemble in flavor and texture. Different regions landed on completely different names — the St. Louis tradition calls the same dessert gooey butter cake, and the Neiman Marcus name got attached somewhere along the way, though it’s unclear whether the store ever actually served them.
Do they really taste better the second day? Yes. The layers settle and the gooey top firms up just enough to hold together cleanly when you cut. They’re delicious as soon as they cool, but if you have the time, make them a day ahead.
Can I use a different cake mix flavor? Yellow is the classic and it’s what I use. Chocolate cake mix makes a version people call chocolate gooey butter cake, and it works the same way.
Does my cream cheese have to be room temperature? It makes a real difference in how smoothly the top layer mixes. I let mine sit out a couple of hours before I start. If you’re in a hurry, cut it into cubes and it’ll soften faster.
How do I store them? Cover them and keep them in the refrigerator. They hold up well for several days, and they travel beautifully, which is why they’re such a good potluck dessert.
Can I freeze them? Yes. Cut them into squares, layer them with parchment between, and freeze in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Do I really not have to wash the bowl between layers? You really don’t. There’s so little of the first mixture left behind that it won’t affect the cream cheese layer at all. It’s one of the reasons this recipe comes together so fast.
Chess Squares
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 1 stick butter melted
- 3 large eggs divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar about 4 cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan, coming up the sides a little. The butter wrapper works well for this.
- Melt the stick of butter and set aside.
- Place the dry cake mix in a mixing bowl. A slightly different box size will still work.
- Pour in the melted butter and scrape the bowl clean. Crack one egg into a small bowl to check for shells, then add it to the mixture.
- Mix just until combined, then stop. The mixture will be quite thick — that is correct.
- Grease your hands lightly and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Place the softened cream cheese in the mixing bowl. There is no need to wash the bowl or paddle between layers.
- Add the powdered sugar, spooned loosely into the measuring cup rather than packed.
- Crack the remaining two eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then add to the mixing bowl.
- Mix on low at first, then increase speed. Scrape down the sides and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Cool completely before cutting. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen.
- For the best texture and flavor, let them rest overnight before serving.
Notes
- These are delicious once cooled, but they genuinely improve on the second day — the layers settle and the top firms up enough to cut cleanly. MK’s high school friends called them BWA, short for Better With Age, for exactly this reason.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. To freeze, cut into squares, layer with parchment, and store in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Chocolate cake mix can be substituted for yellow, which produces the version often sold as chocolate gooey butter cake.
- Room temperature cream cheese matters here — it mixes far more smoothly. Set it out a couple of hours ahead, or cube it to speed things up.
