Chocolate Marble Bars

For cream cheese batter:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  For chocolate batter:
  
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon chocolate or vanilla extract

Instructions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan. Now make the cream cheese batter: Mix the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until blended (if you use an electric mixer, use medium speed), then beat in the sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then add the lemon zest and stir that in as well. Pour the mixture into the pan and spread out into all the corners.

Now make the chocolate batter: Melt the chocolate first, and remove it from the heat. Then take a large bowl and combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat in the buttermilk and the butter (if using an electric mixer, use medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes), and then the chocolate. Spoon the mixture evenly over the cream cheese batter that's already in the pan. Using a knife, gently swirl the two mixtures together. Do not STIR it; just mix it up a little, you want little wavy lines of the mix to intersperse with each other, and if you overblend it will all become a slight light brown color with no swirls and you won't have a MARBLE cake. Bake the mixture for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the middle. Cool it in the pan on a wire rack, and cut into bars.