Vanilla/Chocolate Cake Bars with Vanilla Buttercream

I was recently searching for unique cake-like recipes due to what I can only call a tub of leftover vanilla buttercream from a previous recipe, when this little gem of a recipe caught my eye.

The recipe, Bakingblonde's grandmother's own, sounded absolutely delicious, so I couldn't wait to try out my own version of these yummy chocolate/vanilla marble cake bars and add my very own buttercream frosting!

Just like Bakingblonde writes, these bars are a mix between a brownie and cake.  These bars are moist and very dense.  Perfect for a sweet bite of vanilla/chocolate goodness.  And the the rich vanilla buttercream brings in the perfect amount of creamy texture to take this dessert to a whole new level.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup shortening (like Crisco)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease or spray a 9" x 13" baking pan.

In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar.

Add the vanilla and eggs until just combined (do not overbeat).  Add the flour mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Spoon half of the batter into the baking pan and spread so it is even throughout.  Fold the melted chocolate into the remaining batter until incorporated, then spoon the batter evenly into the baking pan on top of the vanilla batter.  Swirl a greased knife throughout both layers to create a marble effect.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ok, they could have been a little more swirled, but not bad for a first attempt!

Note ~ mine were done in 21 minutes.  It is important not to overbake, so I recommend you check after 20 minutes and then keep checking within a few minutes until done.

Cool completely in the pan.

While the bars are cooling, whip up the vanilla buttercream (you can find my recipe here).


Spread the buttercream on the completely cooled cake bars, and slice.

Delish!