This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Gooey Butter Cake is an easy recipe using cake mix – they are soft and gooey and perfect for breakfast as a coffee cake or as a delicious dessert. They’re addicting!
If you’re looking for the BEST Gooey Butter Cake Recipe – this is IT – you’re not going to believe how easy it is to make.
What is it called Gooey Butter Cake?
Let’s talk gooey butter cake history! St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake was supposedly created when a German baker inverted the amount of butter and eggs when creating a cake. The result is a coffee cake like pastry that’s also sweet enough to be dessert.
Traditional versions have a yeast dough on the bottom, but this is a semi-homemade recipe that starts with cake mix. It’s better than the Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Butter Cake that made it a household name when she made it on her show.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Cake mix crust – the bottom layer is thin but soft, like the bottom of a pastry.
- Gooey filling – cream cheese, eggs, and sugar are mixed and baked on top and the mixture stays gooey!
- Perfect with coffee as a breakfast or brunch treat, but good enough for dessert too!
What is Gooey Butter Cake made of?
- Cake Mix: The classic recipe uses one package yellow cake mix. You can also make other variations – see below for ideas!
- Butter: I always use Challenge Butter for my baking. This uses unsalted butter, but you can substitute salted. Both the crust and filling use melted butter.
- Eggs: Be sure to buy large eggs.
- Cream Cheese: I absolutely love Challenge Cream Cheese – it’s super creamy!
- Powdered Sugar: Confectioners’ Sugar is what sweetens the gooey cream cheese top.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract – and you can also add almond extract if you like!
Best Butter for Baking
I love using Challenge Butter in all my recipes – it’s the only brand I buy. I’ve used it my entire life! Challenge is made in small batches at family owned dairies. Happy cows provide the milk – and there are no artificial additives or hormones. It’s farm to fridge in just 2 days! It’s also available nationally. I love using it in this ooey gooey cake recipe!
How to make Gooey Butter Cake
- Combine cake mix with melted butter and egg in a large bowl. You can use a hand mixer or add them to the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix at medium speed.
- Mix until the cake part is smooth and crumbly – this should happen quickly because of the melted butter.
- Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan that’s been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. The bottom layer will be thin.
- To make the filling, you’re going to beat cream cheese with eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.
- Then, add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Pour the cream cheese filling over cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees until light golden brown on top – the top cake layer forms a crust. Cooking time is about 40-50 minutes.
Gooey Butter Cake Variations
I can’t wait to try all the different ways to make this easy dessert. Here are some ideas:
- Use chocolate cake mix and add a cup of chocolate chips to the top layer.
- Use red velvet cake mix and add a cup of white chocolate chips!
- You can use lemon cake mix or even spice cake mix.
- Add some mix-ins to the cream cheese mixture: chocolate chips, heath almond toffee bits, nuts or anything!
Expert Tips For Success
- Be sure that your cream cheese and eggs are room temperature to avoid lumps in the top layer.
- Normally I use foil to line my pans, but be sure to use parchment paper. Foil will cause your bars to brown too quickly.
- Dust powdered sugar on top of the filling once they’re baked and cooled.
Ooey Gooey Cake FAQ
This cake has a soft bottom layer and a gooey filling. They’re perfect cut into bars, like chess squares. The bars are sweet and remind me of a breakfast pastry.
You don’t have to refrigerate the bars but you can, to make them last longer. Store them tightly covered with plastic wrap or in a large ziploc bag.
You can freeze these in a single layer so they don’t stick to each other.
Gooey Butter Bars Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Bottom Layer:
- 1 15-16 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ½ cup (113g) Challenge unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
Top Layer:
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese (softened)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) Challenge unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth and crumbly. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
- Wipe out the bowl. Add cream cheese, melted butter, eggs and vanilla and mix to break up the cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake mixture in prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until light golden on top and no longer glossy.
- Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and slice into bars for serving.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze in a single layer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Nutrition
Other Favorite Recipes
Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is an easy recipe – it’s a great breakfast coffee cake or delicious dessert – made with cake mix. This is better than Paula Deen’s recipe! This recipe was sponsored by Challenge in 2022.
If you use a strawberry cake mix it tastes exactly like Captain Crunch Berries!
My father lived near St. Louis and each summer we’d visit his parents in St. Louis. Then, he’d go to that bakery and get a couple if Gooey Butter Cake. My tongue and brain remember that taste do well. This recipe is similar to others I’ve tried. I hope it’s more like my memories than the others. Here’s crossing my fingers!!
I put orange flavoring in the yellow cake part plus orange flavoring in the filling. Careful not to use too much. Also I put white chips in the cake part. I’ve had many demands for the recipe!
Question if I use a Lemon Cake with lemon zest and maybe lemon extract do you think it would work? Thank you looking for quick lemon bars, I was thinking this could be my answer. Cathy
I don’t have any yellow cake mix, but I do have Spice Cake Mix and Butter Pecan Cake Mix. Can I substitute? Your thoughts?
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment