Adventures of Mel

Gooey Butter Cake

slice of gooey butter cake with blackberries on an ivory plate with fork

Written by

Mel Lockcuff

in

, ,

Make a simple and easy St. Louis style gooey butter cake using a cake mix. Ooey gooey recipe for the best dessert you’ll ever have!

Growing up in St. Louis, gooey butter cake was a pretty popular dessert. My mom made it every once in awhile, and it was always so good.

slice of gooey butter cake with blackberries on an ivory plate with fork this recipe

St. Louis gooey butter cake is the perfect mix of ooey gooey, chewy, cream cheese deliciousness. With a chewy edge, crackling top, and soft gooey middle, it’s the best of the best when it comes to dessert recipes.

The original butter cake recipe comes from a school cookbook (from my elementary school), but I kinda changed it up just a little bit.

If you love this gooey butter cake, you’ll love my pumpkin gooey butter cake too.

I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR GOOEY BUTTER CAKE!

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious ooey gooey butter cake recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

gooey butter cake baked in blue baking dish and dusted with powdered sugar

ST. LOUIS GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Gooey butter cake was a staple growing up in St. Louis. St. Louis foods are the best!

I know right where you can find the best gooey butter cake in that wonderful city too. In fact, this yummy dessert is one of my 5 reasons why you should visit Soulard Market!

WHY USE A CAKE MIX?

Back in the day, cake mix recipes were pretty popular. We’d make all kinds of easy cake mix desserts, like cake mix cookies and cake mix cakes.

My favorite lemon poke cake with lemon glaze uses a box cake mix.

slice of gooey butter cake on ivory plate with blackberries

The recipes were easy, simple, and always delicious. And back then box cake mix hardly cost anything, definitely less than a dollar.

This recipe comes from those bygone days. And while I plan on developing an actual gooey butter cake from scratch, as in no cake mix, I’m not sure it can beat this family favorite recipe.

CAN I FREEZE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE?

While I’ve never needed to freeze it, I see no reason why you can’t freeze this cake. Just make sure it’s covered well so it doesn’t get freezer burn.

Also, allow enough time for it to thaw once you’re ready to get it out and serve it.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE AN OOEY GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

First up, the crust…

Start by melting the butter. Then beat 2 eggs and mix together with the butter.

mixing ingredients for cake mix gooey butter cake crust in blue mixing bowl with hand mixer

And here’s where the cake mix comes in… You’ll need to mix that butter and egg mixture together with the cake mix. Then spread the mixture in an un-greased 9″x13″ cake pan.

unbaked gooey butter cake crust in blue baking dish ready to bake

Next up, the filling…

Mix together the other 2 eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.

mixing ooey gooey butter cake filling in blue bowl with hand mixer

Then spread it over the crust as a second layer to the cake.

gooey butter cake filling topping the cake mix crust in a blue baking dish

And that’s it! You’ll bake it for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out barely gooey.

If you’re not sure, you can also check the internal temperature of the cake with a baking thermometer. According to The Kitchn, the internal temperature should reach 210°F.

baked gooey butter cake in blue baking dish

After it’s cooled for about 10 to 15 minutes, you can dust it with powdered sugar.

powdered sugar dusted gooey butter cake in baking dish

IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE, HERE ARE A FEW MORE CAKE MIX RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:

Strawberry Jello Cake Flag Cake

Grass Block Minecraft Cake

Raspberry Chocolate Cake in about a Minute

gooey butter cake made with butter cake recipe using box cake mix, sliced in baking dish

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – You can definitely mix gooey butter cake by hand, but a mixer enables you to get a really smooth cake batter.

Measuring Cups

Spatula

9″ x 13″ Cake Pan

Cake Tester or Toothpicks

Baking Thermometer

Powder Shaker – Such a nifty tool for dusting powdered sugar on your cake evenly; and it comes with stencil designs you can use for other sweet recipes.

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE RECIPE

If you love this gooey butter cake recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

CONNECT WITH ADVENTURES OF MEL!

Be sure to follow me on social, so you never miss a post!

Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter

Sign up to receive my newsletter, filled with delicious recipes and outdoor travel adventures, in your inbox:

FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

Gooey Butter Cake

Make a simple and easy St. Louis style gooey butter cake using a cake mix. Ooey gooey recipe for the best dessert you’ll ever have!

  • 1/2 cup salted butter (melted)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix ((1 box))
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.

  2. Beat 2 of the eggs together with the melted butter.

  3. Add the cake mix to the butter mixture, and mix well.

  4. Spread the mixture in an un-greased 9"x13" cake pan.
  5. Mix together the remaining 2 eggs, the cream cheese, and the powdered sugar.
  6. Spread the mixture onto the crust as a second layer to the cake.

  7. Bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out barely gooey.

  8. Once the cake is fully cooked, remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.

  9. Then using a shaker, lightly sprinkle powdered sugar over the entire cake.

  10. Allow the cake to cool and serve.

*You can also use a butter recipe yellow or white cake mix for this recipe.

**If you’re not sure if the cake is done, you can check the internal temperature of the cake with a baking thermometer (see above commentary for more).

Cakes & Cupcakes, Desserts
American
butter cake recipe, cake mix recipe, cake recipes, easy dessert recipes, gooey butter cake, gooey butter cake recipe, ooey gooey butter cake, st. louis gooey butter cake
simple and easy gooey butter cake recipe
ooey gooey butter cake recipe

Comments

32 responses to “Gooey Butter Cake”

  1. Judy

    I made this this morning for dinner tonight. My family found it while I was out of the house and the dish is empty! Needless to say, it was a big hit! No dessert tonight but I will making it again very soon! It was so easy! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Kathy

    Can you use a banana in the cream cheese mixture?

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      Kathy, I can’t see why not. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  3. Wortiz

    Can you just do the crust? Example 1-5 and bake that? Without the Luther ingredients for a chewy cake?

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      You can, but then it’s not a gooey butter cake. What’s your reason for doing so?

      Reply
  4. Wilma Link

    We have this cake in singles.It’s so good, now i can make it @home. Thank you for the recipe. It’s hard to eat one small square of this cake.

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      Wilma, thank you! I agree wholeheartedly; it’s so hard to stop at just one slice.

      Reply
  5. kathy tucker

    This recipe is simple and awesome. I did cut down the pwdr sugar in to 2.5 cups and it’s awesome!

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      Thank you so much, Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Great tip on the powdered sugar.

      Reply
  6. TeAnn Taylor

    That’s a lot of sugar, I don’t really like super sweet cake’s, could this amount be decreased without ruining the cakes integrity? Or, as I cook at an assisted living facility, could Splenda be used?

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      TeAnn, I’m not sure about decreasing the sugar. But you could very likely use Splenda.

      Reply
  7. Anna

    Can this be left out at room temp (covered) for a day or does it need to be refrigerated?

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      Anna, it should be fine for a day.

      Reply
  8. Lochana

    Do you still need to add what is required in the cake box mix or just the eggs and butter enough ?

    Reply
    1. Mel Lockcuff

      No, you don’t need to add any extra ingredients, just what’s listed in the recipe card.

      Reply
      1. Gigi crew

        I’ll be making this , it sounds really good !! Love butter cake

        Reply
        1. Mel Lockcuff

          Thank you! I hope you enjoy.

          Reply
  9. Mimi

    Would a cream cheese frosting work with this cake??

    Reply
    1. Mel

      Mimi, I’m not sure it would need a frosting. It’s very, very rich and the top layer is pretty gooey. I mean, it’d probably taste really good with cream cheese frosting, but it might be too much. Not sure.

      Reply
      1. Melissa

        I would not use cream cheese frosting in place of actual cream cheese. The cream cheese is what makes the cake ooey gooey. As far as cheese cheese frosting on top of the baked cake that contains cream cheese would be to each their own. Happy Baking!

        Reply
  10. Rachel @ BubblyNatureCreations.com

    I’ve never had Gooey Butter Cake! I hear that it’s real popular in Missouri though.

    Reply
    1. Mel

      Rachel, it really is, especially up toward St. Louis where I used to live. If you like a sweet cream cheese dessert, you’d love it.:)

      Reply
Newer Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More posts