5-Ingredient Funfetti Cake Lemon Bars, You're Welcome!

Lots of my favorite ladies are June-babies and I am, too! In years past I've made Birthday Cake Tea Lights and the Ultimate Funfetti Recipe Roundup in their (our) honor. This year, I'm at it again. Here's what happens when Funfetti Cake and Lemon Bars make sweet, sweet love and have a ridiculously delicious baby...

The idea for Funfetti Lemon Bars came to me after Leah over on Freutcake (another June baby!) asked me to create a special birthday recipe for my 5-Ingredient Recipe column. Leah loves lemon bars. And as much as I love Funfetti cake, a little lemon action to curb the good-god-almighty sweetness a smidge wouldn't be a bad thing.

So how do they work? I'm glad you asked! You know those Gooey Butter Cake recipes you've seen all over Pinterest, thanks (I think) to Ms. Paula Deen who may-or-may-not-have invented the idea. Don't fact check me. Anyway! In an Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe, you turn cake mix into a cookie-like crust by adding extra butter and no liquid to the mix and baking it with some extra crap on top blah, blah, blah. 

I turned the idea on its head and took my own route. I blind baked the cake-mix crust. The cake mix puffs up a bit, then once you remove it from the oven...you pack that baby down into a dense shortbread-y bottom. While that's baking, you'll mix up the easiest lemon bar topping EVER! All you need: Sugar, flour, lemon juice and eggs. Pour that over your genius cake crust, pop it back in the oven and you're set! 

Well, kind of set. Of course you'll want to take the bars out of the oven just before the custard sets to get that perfect jiggly, wiggly, creamy, omg-can't-stand-it lemon bar topping but you get the idea...

FUNFETTI LEMON BARS

Serves: 8 to 10

1 box Funfetti cake mix

1 stick butter, melted and cooled 

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Juice of 2 lemons

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Stir together the cake mix, butter and 2 eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and quickly press down the crust using an offset spatula or large spoon—pack it down!

3. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and flour in a bowl until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and the remaining 4 eggs. Carefully pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake 30 minutes or until almost set (it will set as it cools). Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Lift out using the foil and cut into squares. 


I'm dying to know, what's your favorite next-level funfetti cake recipe? Let me know in the comments below! xox