Gooey Butter Cake
This simply delicious Gooey Butter Cake is made with yellow cake mix and has a tender, soft, gooey inside with a slightly crispy caramelized edge that’s absolutely irresistible!
The Original Cheater Version
Have you ever made a gooey butter cake? If you haven’t then you are missing out! This is one of my favorite desserts. It whips up quickly and there are so many ways to make it! It’s kind of a cross between a bar dessert and a cake. It’s simple to make and it is an easy recipe to follow since you’re basically just turning a simple cake mix into an even more delicious cake!
I have made your homemade gooey butter cake and this cake mix version (both are SO good!) If you’d like less sweet, go with the homemade or if you like sweetness, go with this one. Both were very good and got eaten up completely, ha! Thanks so much for sharing both versions. We love them all!
– Theresa J.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Don’t want to use a cake mix? Try my Homemade Gooey Butter Cake. It is a little less sweet but still so yummy!
This cake is supposed to be gooey in texture (hence the name). I think the key to this is not to over-bake the cake. I know some of us have a tendency to keep the cake in the oven for a few minutes longer because we see it still jiggling, but by the time you do that, the cake can get over-baked and will no longer be gooey in the middle. Keep in mind, the cake will continue to bake when you take it out because the pan stays hot for a while.
If you really don’t like the gooey part, you can leave it in the oven a bit longer, just be careful. Also, be sure to bake this on the middle rack of your oven for best results.
The absolute best version, it is sweet but not OVERLY sweet like some other recipes out there.
I honestly don’t think it needs the extra powdered sugar on top, but that is totally up to the individual, I like to serve it on single slices if desired.
Switch up the flavor and use different cake mixes! I think this would be good with a White Cake Mix, French Vanilla Cake Mix, Confetti Cake Mix, or your other favorite flavors. You can use any brands or flavors really since you don’t need the directions or ingredients on the box, you’re just using the directions and ingredients listed here.
I personally like it a little warm, so if you have leftovers, I like to microwave each slice for 15 seconds before eating. I like serving this when still a little warm too.
Keeps at room temperature for up to 5 days. Keep this cake for longer by freezing for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- yellow cake mix– grab your favorite store bought cake mix, or grab my Yellow Cake Mix recipe to use your own homemade version. You can make this with chocolate cake or marble cake or strawberry cake – pretty much any flavor!
- salted butter – you want really butter here, not margarine. Also, you can use unsalted butter but I think the little tiny bit of salt in salted butter helps cut the overall sweetness just a little.
- large eggs – if you have time, allow them come to room temperature. It helps them mix into the batter much easier and more smoothly.
- vanilla extract
- block cream cheese– softened to room temperature. If you forget to grab your cream cheese from the fridge early enough, you can soften your cream cheese fast with these tips.
- powdered sugar
How To Make Gooey Butter Cake
Prepare the crust mixture
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it) and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, melt ½ cup (1 stick) of butter and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cake mix, ½ cup melted butter, 2 eggs, and half the vanilla until well combined. The mixture will be thick. Press this mixture until the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.
Prepare the filling
Melt the remaining ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter and allow to cool slightly. In a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip together the cream cheese, remaining ¼ cup melted butter, and remaining 2 eggs until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and slowly stir to combine.
Bake gooey butter cake
Pour this mixture on top of the crust. Bake on the middle oven rack for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and there is a thin crisp crust on top. It will have a dip in the middle, this is normal.
Allow to cool before slicing to serve. I like to run a butter knife along the entire edge of the baking dish to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add more powdered sugar on top if desired.
Craving More Recipes?
Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter (divided use)
- 4 large eggs (divided use)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (divided use)
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it) and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt ½ cup (1 stick) of butter and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix, ½ cup melted butter, 2 eggs, and ½ Tablespoon of vanilla extract until well combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Press this mixture until the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Melt the remaining ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter and allow to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip together 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature, melted butter from the previous step, remaining 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract and remaining 2 eggs until smooth.
- Add 5 cups powdered sugar and slowly stir to combine.
- Pour this mixture on top of the crust.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 40-50 minutes in the center oven rack until slightly golden brown and there is a thin crisp crust on top. It will have a dip in the middle, this is normal. Don't cook for too long or you will use the gooeyness in the center.
- Allow to cool before slicing to serve. I like to run a butter knife along the entire edge of the baking dish to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add more powdered sugar on top if desired.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I have made your homemade gooey butter cake and this cake mix version (both are SO good!) If you’d like less sweet, go with the homemade or if you like sweetness, go with this one. Both were very good and got eaten up completely, ha! Thanks so much for sharing both versions. We love them all!
what happened to the rest of the vanilla extract? I assumed it went in the second step … Hope I’m right!! It’s in the over, can’t wait! ☺️
So very good! Didn’t change a thing!
This is awesome. Can’t wait to have again
Wow! Buttery sweet & gooey goodness! I love it warm or room temp. Thank you for this delicious cake recipe!
If you see this, my son wants this in cookie form so i told him i would ask you how you might go about doing this recipe as a cookie. My initial thought was to take the cake mixture and roll in balls for the cookies & then thumbprint them and add the cream cheese & powdered sugar mix into the thumbprint. What do you think?
Hi Denise! Honestly, I really don’t know. I hate to tell people something might work if I haven’t personally tested it myself and with the cost of groceries these days, I would feel terrible if an idea didn’t turn out and you wasted ingredients. However, if you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it turns out for you!
My husband and I love this recipe. It is simple and easy enough to make anytime and it is delicious!