Gooey Butter Cake, or it's the simple things

Oh man, just look at it.  Perfect crusty buttery caramelly goodness.  Who would imagine something so delicious could be so dang simple to put together?  You may not believe it but this beauty is what happens when you put 6 lovely ingredients together and they hit it the hell off.  Butter!  Eggs!  Sugar! Cream cheese! Vanilla! Yellow cake mix!  That is the whole lineup, my friend.  Here's how you do:

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
A box of yellow cake mix (yum!)
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese cut into chunks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350° F
Stick the butter in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and microwave it for 30 seconds or so or until it's melted.  Mix the butter, one of the eggs, and the box of yellow cake mix together in a bowl (use a spoon not a mixer, this bit is easy) until you've got a pasty concoction with not so many lumps.  Press this into a greased 9x13 pan to make a crust of sorts.

Now, get your mixer bowl out and throw in the chunked up cream cheese, the remaining two eggs, the crap ton of powdered sugar (worth it, I promise) and the vanilla extract.  Mix it with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer) on low for a little bit so you don't spray your kitchen with powdered sugar.  Then turn it up to medium and mix it for a good solid 3 minutes or until you've got a smooth, silky, creamy mix that you just want to tip back and drink from the bowl.  Don't do this.  It'll be even better soon.  Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the pan and smooth it out with a spatula to cover every inch of your cake mix crust.  Bake for 35 minutes or so, checking for a nice golden brown crust on top.  Once it's looking beautiful and golden, take it out and cool it on the counter for at least an hour.  You want it to be totally cool and set before you cut it into bars.  Or, I mean, maybe you don't.  I don't know your life.  Well, I do know it's about to be way more delicious, even if you don't wait for the pan to cool.  And so simple, like all the best stuff! ✦