A St Louis tradition, this Gooey Butter Cake is simplified with it’s easy cake mix option! Chewy Butter Cake crust with a gooey cream cheese filling!
If you love gooey desserts, this decadent Kentucky Butter Cake needs to be on your baking list! Or try this delicious Buttermilk Brownie Recipe soon.
Why this Recipe Works
The first time I tried Gooey Butter Cake I was smitten.
From the chewy crust to the soft gooey center, this cake stole my heart.
Then again, any treat that pairs well with my morning cup of coffee is a winner in my book.
For years I’ve been making this dessert, not knowing that it was a St. Louis classic!
This recipe is seriously the best.
- Starts from a box mix (that we will doctor up!)
- Packed with gooey cream cheese filling
- Sweetened with powdered sugar
- Made in a 13×9 for easy serving!
Whether you’re having chicken tetrazzini or a grinder sandwich for dinner, today’s cake is the perfect finish!
Ingredient Notes
- 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (just the dry mix)
- Unsalted Butter
- Eggs
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
How to make Gooey Butter Cake
There are two schools of thought on this recipe. Either make it from scratch, which is more traditional, or go the easy route.
I choose easy on this one. It tastes very similar, and, duh, easy.
While I love to bake from scratch, this recipe is one that it’s not necessary to do to achieve great results.
So let’s get started.
Make the Crust. You’ll start with a box of yellow cake mix, softened butter, and one egg. Blend this together. It will be very crumbly. Pour the crumbs into the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.
Using the bottom of a measuring cup or the palm of your hand, press the crumbs FIRMLY. This will create your “crust.”
Make the Topping. Add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 large eggs to a mixing bowl. Beat for several minutes until well blended.
Pour over crust layer.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Refrigerate for 4 hours to set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, slice and enjoy.
I prefer this cake chilled, but it’s not necessary!
Can you make other flavors of Gooey Butter Cake?
Absolutely!
You may recall these Gooey Lemon Bars I made years ago! Just swap out the cake mix for lemon and follow the directions!
Imagine the possibilities! Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake. And more!
How do you make Gooey Butter Cookies?
So glad you asked!
I’ve got the perfect Gooey Butter Cookie Recipe here on my website! So easy, and ridiculously good. Don’t forget the secret ingredient though!
You can also make LEMON Gooey Butter Cookies too. As a lover of all lemon desserts I highly recommend this flavor!
Tips and Tricks
- Use baking spray in your dish to prevent the gooey cake bars from sticking!
- Make sure to let your butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. This is important!
- Be sure to mix the filling layer well. Much like frosting, or a cheesecake, you want the cream cheese incorporated into the egg and powdered sugar. Beat for several minutes!
- Top with powdered sugar. For whatever reason this cake looks very naked and bland. Top it with some powdered sugar to add a sweet decorative touch!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! After baking and cooling, slice cake bars and place in an airtight, freezer safe container (or ziploc). When ready to enjoy, allow to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.
You can store gooey butter cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Yes. Gooey butter cake can be made with other flavors of cake mix, such as chocolate, or white cake.
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Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 box yellow cake mix just the dry mix
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
For the filling:
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
For the topping:
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, softened butter, and egg. Beat until combined, and crumbly.
- Pour into baking dish and press with palm of hand to create a firm crust.
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Beat for about 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as need.
- Pour over crust.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and cool completely. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. ENJOY.
Notes
- Use baking spray in your dish to prevent the gooey cake bars from sticking!
- Make sure to let your butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. This is important!
- Be sure to mix the filling layer well. Much like frosting, or a cheesecake, you want the cream cheese incorporated into the egg and powdered sugar. Beat for several minutes!
- Top with powdered sugar. For whatever reason this cake looks very naked and bland. Top it with some powdered sugar to add a sweet decorative touch!
- STORAGE: Keep cake in airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to one week.
Delicious! I bake a good bit and my husband almost never eats anything but he was in love with these. They were super easy so I love all the different flavor options.
If you’re looking for something to satisfy a sweet tooth…look no further! This was perfection and so easy to make too.
It’d been years since I had had gooey butter cake and I’m so glad I gave this a try! It’s just like the one grandpa used to make. Thanks a ton for the awesome recipe! Will definitely make it again.
The texture of this cake is phenomenal and I loved how simple it was to make!
I like the idea of the easy path with a cake mix, but there’s one major flaw in the recipe. It’s called gooey butter coffee cake be cause the filling contains a full 8oz of butter. I notice many recent recipes drop the butter in the filling… big mistake. (I grew up in metro st. Louis, with gooey butter cake as my favorite breakfast… or snack, or whatever. It pretty much vanished when Haas bakery shut down.)
That said, this recipe could very easily be adjusted for my son who has gluten, dairy, and egg allergies, thanks to a very good brand of allergy friendly cake mix that is nearly indistinguishable from standard mix, a very good nondairy butter substitute, and a decent egg substitute. Challenge will be finding a nondairy replacement for the cream cheese.
I like to experiment, so I may try this out. Thanks much for sharing!