Indulge in a bite of pure decadence! This gooey butter cake combines soft chewy yellow cake with a caramelized cream topping. It’s rich, creamy, and such an irresistible treat.
I was first introduced to gooey butter bars via the Better Homes and Gardens magazine circa early 2000s. I had never heard of the popular St. Louis dessert. And now, I’m just obsessed with it!
There are so many ways to customize this easy cake recipe to your liking. Once you see the ingredients, you’ll see how simple it is to swap in and out different flavors.
Ingredients
It doesn’t get easier than this! You only need a handful of key ingredients: yellow cake mix, butter, eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar).
There are several variations of gooey butter cake. Some have a cake bottom, some a short dough cookie crust (like strawberry gooey butter bars), and others have a yeast-based dough. This is the shortcut version made with a box cake mix as the base.
Classic yellow cake mix ranges from 13.25 oz to 15.5 oz packages. This recipe will work within that range. (I like this cake mix.) I suggest the bigger package because it will create a thicker bottom layer.
Either salted or unsalted butter works for this. I prefer salted butter to help cut through the sweetness of the cake. You’ll need a total of four eggs; two eggs for the cake base and two eggs for the cream topping.
Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for the topping. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for at least one hour to allow it soften. The topping will blend together easier!
And lastly, a pound of powdered sugar. Yes, one pound or 16 oz or 454 grams of confectioners’ sugar. To lessen the sweetness of the cake, you may reduce the powdered sugar by 1 cup. Reducing any further will compromise the texture.
Additionally, I like to add a touch of pure vanilla extract and almond extract to the cake batter. This is optional. I find it really rounds out the flavor of the cake.
Instructions
Flavor Variations
- Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake: use devil’s food cake or chocolate cake
- Lemon Butter Cake: lemon cake mix and add lemon zest to cream cheese mixture
- Strawberry Butter Cake: use strawberry cake mix and add freeze dried strawberry powder to cream cheese mixture
- Gluten-free Gooey Butter Cake: swap in gluten-free yellow cake mix
Serving Suggestions
Word of warning: this gooey bitter cake is SWEET. It is very sweet. That being said, a little slice of this cake goes a long way. See recipe card notes for tips on cutting down the sweetness.
Serve with unsweetened tea, black coffee, or a glass of milk. To cut through the sweetness, I suggest garnishing the cake slices with fresh fruit (berries or citrus are great!).
The gooey butter cake will be soft, moist, and rather fragile while warm. It will regain a bit of structure as it cools. Let cake cool in pan.
This is a sticky cake! I suggest spraying your knife with nonstick spray or lightly coating it with oil/butter before slicing the cake into serving portions.
Store leftovers in a covered container at room temperature away from heat or direct sunlight. It will keep for several days.
Related Recipes
Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
Cake Layer
- 15.5 oz package Classic yellow cake mix, *
- ½ cup Butter, (113 g) Salted or unsalted, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 Large Eggs, Room temp
- 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Teaspoon Almond extract, Optional
Topping
- 8 Oz Block-style cream cheese, Room temp
- 2 Large Eggs, Room temp
- 4 Cups Powdered sugar, (454 g), sift if clumpy
- 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- pinch Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over sides. Set aside.
Cake Layer
- In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together cake mix, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Batter will be thick.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Use a spatula or the flat bottom of cup to spread cake batter into an even layer. Set aside.
Topping
- In the same mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, eggs, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Scrape down bowl to ensure thorough mixing. Mix until smooth.
- Pour topping mixture over cake batter layer. Spread evenly.
Bake
- Place baking pan in center rack of preheated oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating pan midway through baking. Heat until topping is golden brown and the edges of the cake are set.
- Cool in pan until just warm to the touch. Use parchment paper overhang to unfold cake from pan. Use a sharp knife to slice cake into desired portions. Cake will be very stick. Wipe knife between cuts for clean slices.
- Serve cake warm or at room temperature. If desired, garnish cake with sifted powdered sugar.
Notes
- Yellow cake mix packages range in size from 13.25 oz to 15.5 oz. This recipe will work within that range.
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese. Softened, room temperature cream cheese will be easiest to mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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