Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is almost an American classic! Since the 50’s moms and grandmas have been making Ooey-Gooey Cakes for all to enjoy. You may be surprised by the ingredients!ย  Make sure to try Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake too!

Classic Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

Butter Cake

Before making this I studied a lot of Ooey-Gooey Cake recipes. One comment was very, very common: “It’s very sweet”. But I can handle sweet, I mean, I have madeย ย Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake,ย Strawberry Ooey Gooey Cake, evenย Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Cake!ย  ย I like sweet, but just be prepared.ย  It is VERY sweet!

Gooey Butter Cake on Plate Sliced

What is Ooey Gooey Butter Cake?

This recipe is based on the original ooey gooey cake made famous in St. Louis. I have made my version semi-homemade in that I use a cake mix for the bottom layer, but you can certainly make one from scratch if you prefer! There are two distinct layers in an ooey gooey cake. This one is yellow cake on the bottom and a cream cheese butter flavored layer on top. The bottom layer should be a bit firm, but the top layer is melt-in-your-mouth velvety perfection.

I like to serve this ooey gooey butter cake with a light topping of powdered sugar at the end.ย  Some people prefer whipped cream too.ย  Why not add something a little sweeter to the top of this already sweet cake?

Slice of Butter Cake with powdered sugar

Ooey Gooey Bars

Although this is called ooey gooey butter cake, it is technically a bar. Most recipes are made in a 9×13 pan and then cut into a bar shape, so when you make an ooey gooey butter cake you are technically making a bar! I chose to make mine in a 9×3 round cake pan just because I love round cakes, but if you choose to make yours in a 9×13 pan keep an eye on cooking times. The rest of the recipe is the same!

Fork in slice of gooey butter cake

How to Make Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Makeย sure you prepare your pan correctly. I useย GOOP {Homemade Bakerโ€™s Spray}ย and think itโ€™s far superior to any product you can buy at the store. If you donโ€™t want to make GOOP, grease your pan then line with parchment paper.

Useย room temperature ingredients. Set your butter and cream cheese out a couple hours before you plan on making this amazing cake.ย  You will not regret it!

Donโ€™tย undermix ingredients. Whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.

Did you know the โ€œmagicโ€ 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!

Gooey Butter Cake Bars

Sweet Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

And this is about how much I could eat in one sitting. ย I mean, don’t get me wrong, it tastes great! ย Like, really, really great. ย Fantastic! ย AMAZING! ย It is just one of those dishes best served with a cup of black coffee or tea and your dentist’s business card.

I hope you like this ooey gooey butter cake as much as we do!

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake #cake #sweet #butter #dessert #mothersdayideas
4.85 from 40 votes

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Is Almost An American Classic! Since The 50โ€™S Moms And Grandmas Have Been Making Ooey-Gooey Cakes For All To Enjoy. You May Be Surprised By The Ingredients!

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (113g) butter, melted

Filling

  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup (113g) butter, melted
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. (I set my convection oven to 325ยฐF)
  • In a bowl, combine cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla and the melted butter. Mash together with a fork until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Spray a 9-inch by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with baking spray or use a piece of parchment in the bottom of the pan.
  • Press cake mixture into bottom of prepared pan and get it as flat as possible.
  • Place cream cheese, remaining eggs, vanilla and melted butter in a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until creamy.
  • Add in confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time (and on low speed) until all sugar has been added.
  • Pour cream cheese mixture over cake mixture.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes. I moved mine from the oven when the edges were brown, but the center was stillย a bit jiggly. You do not want to over cook.
  • Allow to cool before serving.

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.

Share with your friends!

Categorized in:

Related Recipes

Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion โ€“ With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. I wonder if you could use Splenda instead of Powdered Sugar? Wouldn’t that help a lot? or would it mess up the ingredients and texture?

  2. This recipe looks so good. However I will not be making it, as there is not a print button. There are quite a few, and I dont use them ! Sorry

    1. There is a print button, I see it. You can also right click on your computer and print or press the โ€œscreen shotโ€ button on your computer and paste it to a word document. Donโ€™t let a missing print button hold you back from awesome recipes.

  3. I make this a lot, but unlike you, I can eat the whole thing, lol, there is no such thing as too sweet or rich for me in a dessert.and yes, u can use chocolate for an earthquake effect, lemon is okay, have done strawberry

  4. Gooey Butter Cake is the result of a early 1900’s St. Louis, MO baker experiencing an oven fail when making traditional German breakfast butter cake. The modified version using cream cheese makes it easier to recreate. Paula Deen did not create this cake.

  5. My grandson love’s Ooey Gooey butter cake and I told him if I get the recipe that I would make the cake haven’t done it yet but I will thanks for sharing the recipe.

  6. I just made this ooey gooey butter cake…does it need to cool completely before cutting? Or refrigerate before cutting?

  7. Next time try putting in a can of pumpkin and only using half the confectioners sugar….. it’s delicious and I make it every Thanksgiving and other times of the year.

  8. I tried it with lemon cake mix and in the middle on top i put a spoon full or two of blueberry pie filling. Oh my goodnesss it was great! Was sweet enough to count as my sweet intake for the rest of the year!! Try it!!
    Lemon tea to sip while you eat it goes well also

Leave a Reply

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

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.