Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake is a refreshing and delightful dessert that is easy to make, but hard to stop eating! The cakey bottom layer is topped with a sweet and rich topping with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top to seal the deal! If you love ooey gooey cakes, be sure to try my Strawberry Ooey Gooey Cake and Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake.
Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake
It’s amazing that the original ooey gooey cake was actually a mistake! In a St. Louis Bakery, John Hoffman made a mistake by using the wrong amounts of sugar and flour. Because there was so little flour and too much sugar, the cake did not rise and was super dense and heavy. Well, people loved it and he called it ‘gooey butter cake’. As soon as I made my own Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, I knew I needed to make as many variations of this ‘mistake cake’ (hey, that rhymes!) as I could! Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake is one of my latest and favorite variations.
Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake Recipe
With just a few ingredients, you will have a lemony dessert that will definitely NOT be a mistake!
Ingredients
- Lemon cake mix
- Butter–Let it get to room temperature.
- Eggs–Room temperature eggs work the best for baking. Out of eggs? No problem. Try one of my Egg Substitutes for this recipe!
- Cream cheese–Again, (are you seeing the theme here?), room temperature is best.
- Confectioners’ sugar–You will use this sugar in the mix as well as for the dusting after the cake has been baked.
- Lemon juice
How to Make Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake
There are two distinct layers in an ooey gooey cake. This one is lemon cake on the bottom and a lemon-flavored layer on top. The bottom layer should be a bit firm, but the top layer is melt-in-your-mouth velvety perfection. To get started, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×3-inch round springform baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, and one egg. This will be the base of the delicious dessert. Spread the cake layer on the bottom of the pan and combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour the mixture over the cake and bake for 35-40 minutes. If you check the doneness with a toothpick, it should appear wet. Let it cool before cutting and serving.
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.
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!)
You are not limited by the flavors in the recipe! Try adapting the Ooey Gooey cake recipe to create any flavor combination. 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!
Looking for More Lemon Treats?
Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Cream Pie
Lemon Ooey Gooey Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease (butter and flour method, GOOP, or pan release) a 9x13 pan.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, and 1 egg.
- Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. (it will be thick)
- In a separate large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3 eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until combined.
- Stir in the lemon juice.
- Pour mixture over cake mixture; bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is just about set. (It should still be jiggly. An inserted toothpick should appear wet.)
- Cool before cutting.
- Garnish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
This Ooey Gooey Lemon Cake looks delicious, and I’m just back from the store with the ingredients, because I made 2 2 Ooey Gooey Almond cake bars which were amazing, but two people in my family are allergic to almonds, so…! Although while you keep suggesting the spring form pan, all the pix are of squares and a pan with corners, so I’m following the pictures and using a 9″ – 13″ pan. Thanks for the intriguing recipe!