Gooey Butter Cake

This delectable Gooey Butter Cake is a rich buttery soft cake made with seven easy ingredients in two easy steps.  It is so darn easy that you can have this cake prepped and in the oven in less than ten minutes.  It is perfect for potluck, family reunions, neighborhood shindigs, bridal and baby showers.  Earthquake Cake, Kentucky Butter Cake and this cake are my favorite go to recipes for potlucks.

If you have never tried a Gooey Butter Cake you must really treat yourself!!  This is one of those regional recipes.  It is a St. Louis original recipe or at least that is what I have always been told and I believe it to be true.  You will be so pleased with the results.  You will fall madly in love with this family friendly easy dessert recipe.

How do you make Gooey Butter Cake?

Start by buttering a 9×13 inch baking dish.  Then simply combine a yellow butter cake mix, a stick of melted butter and an egg. Once mixed pat that into the prepared baking dish. Now using a stand or hand mixer beat cream cheese until smooth and lump free.  Then turn the mixer to low and the eggs one at a time and mix just until incorporated. Next add the vanilla and powdered sugar in several increments blending just until incorporated.

Pour that layer on top of the layer already in the baking dish.  Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Cool before slicing and if desired sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Flavor variations

• German Chocolate – substitute a German chocolate cake mix for the butter cake mix on the bottom.  Fold 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans and 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes into the top layer.
• Strawberry – fold two cups chopped fresh strawberries into the top layer.
• Pumpkin – increase eggs to three for top layer, after adding eggs and vanilla on low add 15 ounces pumpkin puree, 1 stick melted butter cooled slightly (1/2 cup) and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.  Then proceed with adding the powdered sugar.
• Lemon – substitute a lemon cake mix for the butter cake mix on the bottom.  In the top layer omit vanilla extract but add three tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• Grease the baking dish with butter to prevent the crust from sticking and to make it easier to remove this soft gooey cake from the pan.
• Soften the cream cheese and bring the eggs to room temperature.
• Any yellow butter cake mix will do.  It to does not have to be a specific one.  My mother always swore by Betty Crocker but I prefer Duncan Hines
• Load the cake on the middle rack in the center of the oven
• You can not use the toothpick method to test for doneness on this cake since it is a gooey cake. 40-45 minutes does the trick with a nice golden brown crust and a light golden brown color for the center.
• For best results on the top layer beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and lump free.  Then turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time mixing just until incorporated.  Keeping the mixer on low add the vanilla and powdered sugar (in intervals) mixing just until incorporated.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More delicious desserts you will love!

• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
• Apple Galette
• Peach Crisp

This post was originally published June 24, 2014 and was republished April 24, 2020 with new content.

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