Enjoying a rich, chocolate, ooey-gooey cake has never been easier! This semi-homemade recipe was handed down from a very wise & frugal Grandma! (Yes, seriously, grandma’s use cake mix too!) If you love this cake don’t miss my Best Chocolate Cake (from scratch), Cream Cheese Pound Cake, or 50 Best Cake Recipes!
Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake
I just posted the buttery Ooey Gooey Butter Cake a couple of days ago. The recipe was so fascinating to me that I immediately had to make it in chocolate!
Ooey Gooey Cake Recipe
One thing I do absolutely love about this dessert is the texture. The thin top layer of delicate chocolate flakiness resting precariously over the ooey gooey molten cocoa-flavored lava lusciousness is pretty darn amazing. They battle it out in your mouth, the sweet rich velvet-like cake and the crispy top layer of crust. Just to be clear, there are no losers in that battle. If you like this cake, then you must try my other ooey-gooey cakes:
5 Unwritten Rules for Ooey Gooey Cake Success:
Make sure you prepare your pan correctly. I use GOOP {Homemade Baker’s Spray} and think it’s far superior to any product you can buy at the store. If you don’t want to make GOOP, grease your pan then line with parchment paper.
Use room temperature ingredients is a good idea. Set your butter and cream cheese out a few hours before you plan on making this amazing cake.
Don’t undermix ingredients. Whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.
Pan size matters. Or does it? It just depends on your preference for the final product! I baked mine in a 9×3 round cake pan or 9×3 springform pan because I like ooey gooey cakes to have a very gooey center and thicker edges. However, you can absolutely bake this recipe in a 9×13 pan! It will just be much thinner than my pictures show. You can also use a 9×9 or 8×8 square pan. Just make sure your oven is properly calibrated as you don’t want hot spots that will cause uneven baking. (Hint: Use bake strips around your pan!)
Ooey Gooey Cake Modifications
You are not limited by the flavors in the recipe! Try adapting the Ooey Gooey cake recipe to create any flavor combination. Use vanilla cake in the base and lemon extract for the cream cheese topping. How about coffee extract in the base and cherry flavoring in the cream cheese layer? Or lemon in the base and lemon zest in the topping. Or strawberry in the base and vanilla topping. Try adding fruit to the top which can help cut the sweetness. Try adding chocolate chips to the base and/or the cream cheese layer. Add chopped pecans to the base layer. The possibilities are endless!
Did you know the “magic” version of this recipe? You simply mix all the ingredients in one bowl and then bake. There is no layer separation, but the flavor and texture are still amazing!
This cake is very rich and a little will go a long way. Try serving with a vanilla ice cream to cut the sweetness.
I just want you to know, I am willing to sacrifice time and resources to sample every single one of them. I do it all for you. 😉
Enjoying a rich, chocolate, ooey-gooey cake has never been easier! This semi-homemade recipe was handed down from a very wise & frugal Grandma!
- 2 sticks (226g) butter, melted
- 1 package chocolate cake mix
- 3 large eggs, one egg for bottom cake layer THEN two eggs for filling layer
- 1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (31g) cocoa powder
- 16 ounces confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 convection) and prepare and 9-inch by 3-inch round cake pan OR 9-inch x13-inch dish. (I have heard bundt pans work as well!)
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Combine the cake mix, 1 egg (you will use the other two eggs elsewhere), and 1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup or 113g), and stir until well blended.
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Pat the mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
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In a stand mixer on medium speed (or using a hand-held mixer), beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs and the cocoa powder.
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Lower the speed of the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Slowly add the remaining 1 stick (1/2 cup) of melted butter. Add vanilla and continue to beat the mixture until smooth.
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Pour filling over cake mixture in pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. (check at 30 minutes with 9x13) Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.
Enjoy!
Would like to try. What kind of cocoa do you use? Sweetened or unsweetened. Any brand preference for cake mix and cocoa?
Unsweetened cocoa powder. Any brand works.
Delicious cake but I need to know how many calories there are in a slice
Hi, Hope! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. If you cut the cake into 12 pieces, there are about 471 calories per serving. Have a great day!
I’ve made these okey gooey cakes at Thanksgiving using spice cake (or yellow if your not a fan of spice cake) and pumpkin with powdered sugar for top part. Rethink pumpkin pie!🎃
My cake feel in the very middle ! It’s for a bd tomorrow don’t know whether to bake another or but don’t know what I did wrong
I was wondering if you can mix it all together as in the original ooey gooey butter cake recipe?
This was amazing! I made in a 9 x 13 pan and it was just perfect! I have been making a version of this recipe for years but I really like the small changes this one uses. Fantastic!!
Hi! I used a 9 inch spring form pan and it worked very well! I did put a sheet pan under the spring form pan for extra stability. I preheated the pan for about 5 minutes to take the chill off. My baking time increased by double! I had to bake it twice! Lol! I’m wondering if you have any info/experience using a sheet pan on baking recipes and finding you need to increase the baking time? Not necessarily for this recipe, but in general? A rule of thumb type thing? And…The cake was absolutely delicious! Fabulous! Thanks so much!
Hi
Can you please tell if you think a gluten free cake mix would work for the bottom layer of the ooey gooey cakes?
Thank you
In terms of different flavors, how much extract or zest should be used for the lemon adaptation?
Could you please supply the ingredients for the cake mix as well? Here in S.A. we do not use box mixes very often and I prefer to make from scratch. Thank you
This was super simple to throw together. I used a vanilla glaze in place of the ganache.The finished cake looked very impressive considering the amount of effort. Everyone loved it and asked for seconds. I will definitely make this one again.
Made this using devils food cake mix, special dark cocoa, and one 16-oz box powdered sugar.. absolutely to die for!
I made this Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake today.It is the Best of the Best..❤ jIt will always be my go to cake!!! Perfect!!! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!!😊
Made this just now for dessert with guests tomorrow, now my entire house smells like burned chocolate AND I have to clean my oven. Completely overflowed the 9” round cake pan and was totally raw on the inside under the top crust. Never again…
You state in directions to “prepare” a 9×3” round cake pan but you don’t say what you mean.
Grease & flour??
Hi, Pat! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We use homemade pan release (GOOP) to prepare the pans. But, you could also line the cake pan with parchment paper. Have a great day!
I will have to make this for Thanksgiving this year