Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake has a red velvet cake base with a sweet cream cheese topping for an easy dessert that’s always a crowd favorite!
A Great Make Ahead Dessert
This Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake is one of those desserts that may not win any beauty contests, but one bite is all it takes to understand why people love it! Quick tip with gooey butter cakes: they look much better if you dust powdered sugar on it at the end. It covers up a bit of ugly, lol. With a simple cake mix base and a sweet, gooey topping, it’s an easy dessert that’s perfect for potlucks, holidays, family gatherings, or just because!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Gooey Butter Cake is a classic dessert that originated in Missouri and features a cake-like bottom layer topped with a rich cream cheese filling that bakes into a soft, gooey topping. While there are many homemade versions, like my Homemade Gooey Butter Cake, cake mix variations have become especially popular because they’re simple to prepare and consistently delicious.
I even have other variations like this Chocolate Marble version, or this Spice Cake version.
Yes. That is where it gets its name. The center should remain soft and slightly gooey after baking. Be careful not to over bake or the filling can become too firm.
A slight dip in the center is completely normal. As the cake cools, the gooey filling settles and creates the signature appearance. As I said above, just dust some powdered sugar over the top and it pretties it up a bit.
Absolutely. Many people think Gooey Butter Cake tastes even better after it has cooled completely and had time to set.
Because this recipe contains cream cheese, leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the best texture, allow slices to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. You can also freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- red velvet cake mix– A 15.25-ounce box is recommended for this cake. Smaller cake mix boxes will work but may slightly affect the thickness and texture. I wish they still made the 18.25 ounce boxed cake mixes. This recipe (in my personal opinion) came out much thicker and better with those.
- salted butter– used in both the cake base and the gooey topping. If using unsalted butter, add a small pinch of salt.
- eggs – If you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. It helps them blend into the batter much better.
- vanilla extract– Adds flavor to both the cake layer and cream cheese topping. You can have fun and play with different types of extracts to change up the flavors.
- cream cheese – I used a full-fat block of cream cheese that was softened to room temperature for the smoothest filling. You can use these Tips to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly if you need to.
- powdered sugar – you need this for the cream cheese layer and to dust a little on the top when it has cooled.
How To Make Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake
Prepare the cake mix base
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 fitted with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together cake mix, ½ cup melted butter (from the previous step), 2 eggs, and ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract until well combined. The mixture will be thick. Press this mixture until the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.
Prepare the cream cheese topping
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.
Slowly stir in powdered sugar
Add 5 cups of powdered sugar and slowly stir to combine. Pour this mixture over the crust.
Pour over cake mix layer then bake
Cover with foil. Bake on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until slightly golden brown with 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 lose 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. Allow it to cool then dust the top with a little more powdered sugar.
Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Craving More Recipes?
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box red velvet 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 dusting)
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) salted butter and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl fitted with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together 15.25 ounce box red velvet cake mix, melted butter (from the previous step), 2 eggs, and ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract until well combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Press this mixture until the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.NOTE: You might find it helpful to spray your clean hands with a little of the nonstick cooking spray to help press it in.
- Melt the remaining ¼ cup (½ stick) salted 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 over the crust.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until slightly golden brown with 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 lose 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.
- Allow to cool then dust the top with a little more powdered sugar.
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.
- I suggest sticking to the 15.25 ounce boxes of cake mix if you can. I find they work better than the smaller cake mixes.
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.
