Marble Chocolate and Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

Cream cheese and chocolate chips folded into a box of German chocolate cake mix create an easy, crowd-pleasing marble chocolate dessert.

Rich pockets of cream cheese and melting chocolate chips swirled through a light, fluffy cake make every bite decadently chocolatey and satisfying.

If you enjoy this recipe, try a simple Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish for another easy cream-cheese treat.

Chocolate & Cream Cheese Bars From Box Mix

We’ve made these bars multiple times and every person we’ve shared them with raves about the flavor. They’re simple to prepare and perfect for potlucks, cookouts, or an easy dessert at home.

This idea grew from a basic cheesecake-bar concept made with a box mix. When a sister-in-law suggested starting with a German chocolate cake mix, adding cream cheese, sugar, and milk chocolate chips, we gave it a try — and loved the results.

My husband and kids enjoy making this dessert because it starts with a box mix and adds only a few simple ingredients that you swirl in. Follow the cake-mix directions, drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the batter, swirl lightly, and sprinkle extra chocolate chips for more chocolatey goodness.

We experimented with both chocolate fudge and German chocolate cake mixes. The chocolate fudge mix felt too intense and competed with the cream cheese. The German chocolate mix delivers a milder chocolate flavor that blends harmoniously with the cream cheese and chips.

This recipe is quicker and simpler than more elaborate cheesecakes, and it pairs nicely with other box-mix transformations like our Snickers Bar Cake or Pistachio Pudding Cake when you want variety. For a twist, swap the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips to give the bars a peanut-butter-chocolate flavor.

Tips & Tricks

• Use as many chocolate chips as you like — resist sampling them all while stirring.
• Softened cream cheese mixes more smoothly with sugar and swirls into the batter more easily.
• Marbling will vary each time; the bars never look exactly the same twice.
• When dropping the cream cheese mixture, place spoonfuls near the edges as well as the center for better distribution.
• A 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking sheet (jelly roll pan) yields thinner bars with better balance of cake and filling; a 9 x 13-inch pan can be used but will change the texture and distribution.
• These bars can be frosted, but they’re delightful without icing.

How to Make Marbled Cheesecake Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions for the German chocolate cake mix. Pour into a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Do not bake yet.
3. In a bowl, beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Gently stir in 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips.
4. Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter.
5. Use a butter knife to gently smooth any high pieces of cream cheese and to swirl the cream cheese into the cake batter to create a marbled effect.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips evenly over the top.
7. Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Can I Use a 9 x 13 Inch Pan?

You can use a 9 x 13-inch pan if you don’t have a 15 x 10 x 1-inch sheet. Keep in mind the cake will bake up thicker in a 9 x 13, and the cream cheese pockets may sink more toward the center or bottom, changing the balance of texture and flavor in each bite. The shallower pan yields shorter bars where cake and cream cheese combine more evenly.

Other Easy Recipes from a Box Mix

• Snickers Bar Cake
• Pistachio Pudding Cake
• Best Cake Recipes from a Box Mix
• Heath Bar Cake
• Smores Dessert Cake
• O’ Joy Brownie Bars