Toffee Gooey Butter Cake

Cake:

•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•1 (18.2- ounce) package yellow cake mix
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
•1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
•2 large eggs
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
•1 cup toffee bits

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.

Pour the filling over the cake mixture and spread it evenly. Bake until the center is just a little bit gooey, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

My notes:

I think there are about a million different variations of this recipe.  I got THIS one from Paula Deen.  But I have gotten the same recipe from friends in the past and it has a variety of names including, but I'm sure not limited to, Gooey Butter Cake, Neiman Marcus Brownies and Chess Bars.  This is the first time I recall seeing one with the toffee bits stirred in.  And there are also variations that include using a chocolate cake mix in the bottom layer.  I failed to get a picture before they were all gone and I didn't actually eat one this time around.  But trust me, they are GOOD!