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.

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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. The first time I made this it came out perfect! The second time not so much , I think I may have overcooked it. Can that be fixed? Like can I add a little milk to the center or something? Another thing is this time instead of the bottom being hard it is really moist.

    1. The best bet for your second cake would be to serve it warm… heat up each piece before serving. Not sure why the 2nd watch would be overcooked yet moist on the bottom. I will try and do some troubleshooting and see what I can find out!

  2. Very delicious. I have made this several different ways using several different recipes and I think this one is my favorite. Although I only use 1 egg in the cake mix instead of two. Also for thanksgiving last year I made a pumpkin version of this. I mixed pumpkin spice in the cake mix and pumpkin purรฉe in the topping. It came out wonderfully! Highly recommend.

  3. I made this cake itโ€™s delicious but the topping and I only cooked it 33 minutes but the topping itโ€™s not burnt but itโ€™s hard and cracked what did I do wrong!

  4. I definitely like this recipe more than the others I’ve tried. I think 2 eggs are a must for the cake mix. Some recipes only call for 1 and I think the cake is too dry. Also some of the other recipes don’t call for any butter for the post gooey filling…say what?!!? Being able to use melted butter also gets you baking this mouth watering masterpiece a lot quicker than waiting for butter to soften. I’m eating a piece as I’m writing this..Yummo!! ๐Ÿ˜„

  5. Okay, I cannot find a box of yellow cake mix… it seems here in the Netherlands there are mixes for everything else ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜ค Can I just use the dry ingredients for a homemade yellow cake? Do you have a suggestion?
    Thank you in advance!!

  6. What is yellow cake mix , I know in US easy to get ready made stuff , but what if we can’t find yellow cake mix here , just in middle of nowhere in forest ๐Ÿ™‚ .I think its good idea to bake from scratch most of the time ๐Ÿ™

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