Disney Recipe: Liberty Tree Tavern Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake

I have been wanting to try this recipe for Liberty Tree Tavern's Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake since before the holidays, but we've been burried under a sea of Christmas goodies. We had some friends over this weekend, so I decided we were past the post-New Year sugar shock stage and could finally tackle it. The recipe is rather simple (I do not claim to be a skilled chef or even much of a foodie), and the ingredients are pretty basic, with only the key ingredient--toffee--being even slightly out of the ordinary. Plan on about 20 minutes of prep time and around 35 baking time. You prep the dish in two layers, but it bakes together. The consistency is really more of a bar than a cake, and you can cut the sweetness a bit by serving it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Here's the recipe:

Cake "Crust" Ingredients

• 1 standard box of yellow cake mix


• 1 large egg


• 1 stick of butter, softened (1/2 cup)

Mix these ingredients together and press into a pan, much like you would a graham cracker crust. (I did mine in two 8 x 8" pans so that I could make one without the toffee for my allergy kid, but you could use a 9 x 12" or even muffin tins. ) Set aside, and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Cake Top Ingredients

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened


• 2 large eggs


• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract


• 1/4 cup of butter (1/2 stick)


• 1 pound of powdered sugar, sifted


• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1 cup of toffee bits (you can buy Heath bar pieces, or you can buy whole bars and smash them in a zipper bag with a rubber mallet)

Beat cream cheese until smooth. (You can use a mixer, but a whisk is sufficient.) Add eggs and vanilla, continuing to stir and whip ingredients with each new ingredient. Add butter and mix well. Gradually sift in powdered sugar, and mix until creamy. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits, but don't over-mix! Pour mixture over the "crust" and bake approximately 35 minutes. Edges should be golden brown, and the center should be "gooey" but not raw.

This recipe got a big thumbs up from the whole gang! As I mentioned, I made one version without the toffee for my daughter who has a tree nut allergy (toffee contains almonds), and although that version was slightly less glorious, it was still pretty awesome. We served ours with whipped cream, but I think vanilla ice cream on a warm piece would be pretty heavenly--and the ice cream would help cut through some of the incredibly rich sweetness. This is not your every-day dessert! But we'll definitely keep this recipe in our arsenal of special occasion favorites.