Meet your new favorite dessert, gooey butter cake, a two layer treat with a buttery cake crust and a soft, cream cheese topping that practically melts. It is simple, sweet, and totally irresistible.
What makes it special is the texture, crackly on top with a gooey center, plus pantry friendly ingredients that come together fast for dessert everyone loves.
If this sounds like your kind of sweet, try my Gooey Butter Cookies, or Strawberry Butter Cake next. Or if you want something truly incredible and easy with a cinnamon twist, check out our Honey Bun Cake.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Simple. This cake is very easy and is made with ingredients that most people tend to have on hand.
- Delicious. Everyone loves it. Chalk full of butter and cream cheese and powdered sugar (plus cake batter) – you can’t go wrong.
- Great for parties. Cut them up in tiny squares as dessert finger foods or bigger squares for a dessert. No matter what, it’s always popular.
Gooey Butter Cake Ingredients
- Yellow cake mix (15.25-ounce box)- The mix supplies the classic buttery vanilla flavor and a sturdy base. If you don’t have yellow cake mix, you can use vanilla or white cake.
- Eggs (1)- Binds the cake mix and butter, creating a soft dough that presses in easily.
- Melted butter (½ cup) – Adds richness and helps the bottom layer bake up moist and cohesive. We use unsalted butter, but salted can work as well.
- Cream cheese (8-ounce package) – This helps create the gooey softness in this cake.
- Beaten eggs (2 eggs)- Sets the creamy layer so it slices while staying soft.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)- Rounds out the sweetness with warm bakery aroma.
- Powdered sugar (3 ½ cups)-Sweetens and gives the creamy layer its smooth finish. Sift the powdered sugar to help eliminate any of the harder clumps that tend to form.
- Powdered sugar to sprinkle– Adds a pretty look and a delicate sweet finish.
How to Make Gooey Butter Cake
PREP. Grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350°F. You can also line the pan with parchment paper.
CRUST. In a large bowl, whisk cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter until smooth. Press into your greased 9×13 pan.
TOPPING. Blend cream cheese, 2 beaten eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) until creamy and smooth. Pour and spread over the first mixture in your pan.
BAKE. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until edges are golden brown (middle may sink in a bit).
TOP. Top with extra powdered sugar and ENJOY!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Use a plastic knife to cut neat, clean slices. It will slice right through this texture with ease.
- You can use a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine all the ingredients, but do not overmix.
- The bottom layer should be much thicker than a typical cake batter and more like a soft dough. Use a rubber spatula or add a little olive oil to your finger to help press it evenly in the pan.
- A delicious option is to top each slice with some fresh berries.
Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- powdered sugar, to sprinkle
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 pan and turn oven to 350°F.
- Blend cake mix, 1 egg, and butter until smooth. Press into your greased 9×13 pan.
- Blend cream cheese, 2 eggs, vanilla and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Spread over your the first mixture in your pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until edges are golden brown (middle may sink in a bit).
- Top with powdered sugar and ENJOY!
Notes
- Use a plastic knife to cut neat, clean slices. It will slice right through this texture with ease.
- You can use a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine all the ingredients, but do not overmix.
- The bottom layer should be much thicker than a typical cake batter and more like a soft dough. Use a rubber spatula or add a little olive oil to your finger to help press it evenly in the pan.
- A delicious option is to top each slice with some fresh berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store this gooey butter cake recipe at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Freeze this treat for later by wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap. Then keep it in a freeze-safe container or bag. It should last for 4-5 months in the freezer.
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This recipe was originally published March 2013.
It’s a good cake but I narrow down on the sugar. Instead of using 3 cups I used 2 cups and it still was too sweet for my liking. I will be making this again but I am only going to use 1 cup of sugar.
Ive made this many many times & its sssooooooo gosh darn great!! Everyone always wants me to make it again! As for the comments saying its ‘too sweet,’ its actually well balanced with the pastry like base, eggs, butter & cream cheese. However, I use salted butter & cut back the powdered sugar to 2 1/2 cups. It doesnt change the cake much but it makes me feel better when i have a second piece!!
I’m so glad to hear you love the cake!! Thanks for sharing what you do
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before, but this one deserves it! Followed the exact instructions and the cake turned out PHENOMENAL! It was such a hit at the party I hosted. This is my new go-to dessert recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is amazing! I made it last night for my family and they absolutely loved it. It’s already gone and I have made another one. I found this recipe incredibly simple and straightforward to make. It only requires a handful of ingredients and I was able to make the crust and the topping in under 10 minutes. I found that baking for around 42 minutes produced great results. Thanks so much for this recipe; it is my new go to dessert!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!!
The best dessert ever! Going to make this a lot. Made this the first time following the recipe exactly and it was amazing! The second time I added to the cream cheese mixture before mixing with electric mixer, the zest from one lemon, and two teaspoons fresh lemon juice, and it was phenomenal!
DELICIOUS. Tastes exact to one I had at a restaurant!!
The directions list 3 eggs (1 for the cake mix then 2 for the cream cheese) but the recipe only lists 2 eggs.
So the recipe does have 3 eggs, they are just listed separately. So it lists 1 egg and then 2 eggs beaten. Hopefully that is helpful!
Omg. This is fantastic. First time I made girl it’s 10 star. I will be fixing this for family gatherings. It was very easy to make.
Sorry, way too sweet.
Thank you, Teresa Szuminski, for you comment – I checked these comments specifically to see whether anyone mentioned it’s too sweet. A cake mix PLUS 3.5 cups of flour seemed like it might tilt that way.
Thanks for the feedback!
you mean 3.5 cups of SUGAR
I give this cake 10 stars out of 5🥰😄. It is Ooey Gooey goodness. It is moist and buttery. If you can’t bake you can make this cake. This is the second time I’ve made it and I’m sure it won’t be the last.