Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Name: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 box cake mix (yellow cake mix ); 2 eggs; 1/2 cup butter (or margarine); 8 oz cream cheese; 1 lb powdered sugar; 2 eggs

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A St. Louis classic, this Gooey Butter Cake starts with a cake mix and adds cream cheese, powdered sugar and gooey butter. It is a dessert that always gets rave reviews and is a favorite! End your dinner with this dessert, your family will thank you.

butter cake on a white plate with a cake pan behind.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is what you think it is, ooey and gooey. It starts with a cake mix which helps the making process go easier.

It is a simple cake with only a handful of ingredients. The two key ingredients, butter and cream cheese help to give it that gooey-ness that everyone enjoys.

Where does gooey butter cake come from?

Gooey butter cake comes from St. Louis. Being an Illinois gal, we make it to St. Louis often and love the city. (Fitz's anyone??) This cake was actually made by accident and has become a favorite in the area and beyond!

Some make the cake base from scratch using cake flour, I prefer to use a cake mix.

Cake mix

Traditionally, the cake mix is a yellow cake mix. I, however, love to venture out of the box (literally) and try other cake mix flavors. I have found (and I used in this recipe) a butter cake mix works well and tastes great.

Certainly, you can use either and either will help this cake recipe be a standout.

I have used cake mix as a base for other recipes such as Gooey Butter Cookies and Cookies and Cream Butter Cake.

Ingredients

Yellow cake mix (or butter cake mix)
Butter
Eggs
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar

The ingredients are very basic and simple. It is also just a mix together and put in a pan type of recipe, which everyone enjoys.

The steps

First, the base layer will need to be mixed and put in the pan.

cake mix and eggs in a red bowl. — Start with a large bowl to mix the ingredients.

I find it best to use a hand mixer for this recipe, or you can use a stand mixer. Mixing by hand is okay, but it does take some time, especially for the cream cheese layer. It doesn't have quite the same amount of smoothness as a mixer can do.

gooey butter cake base layer in the bottom of a cake pan.

Then, spread the cake base in a greased 9x13 pan.

For the cream cheese layer

The cream cheese layer consists of cream cheese, eggs and powdered sugar. The sweet, the creamy and the binder is what it comes down to.

I use the same bowl for both base and top layer as it saves me a bowl to wash later. You can use a different bowl if you prefer, I would rather use one.

powdered sugar, eggs and cream cheese in a red mixing bowl.

When that is completely mixed together (using a mixer), the batter will be smooth. Spread it carefully over the bottom base layer in the cake pan. It should spread easily.

butter cake batter in a cake pan. — Base layer of the cake mix and the top layer with the cream cheese (the ooey, gooey)!

Bake

The gooey butter cake should be baked in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Take note that this cake rises quite a bit then will fall slightly after you pull it out of the oven. Test the doneness of the cake with a toothpick.

gooey cake in a cake pan with a multicolored towel besides. — Sprinkled with powdered sugar, this cake not only tastes good it looks so impressive too!

FAQ

Can I use a chocolate cake mix?

Oh yes. Talk about a twist to this recipe. Chocolate is a fun alternative to the yellow cake mix.

How do I store this cake? Should it be refrigerated?

No, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. You can if you want by placing it in an airtight container and putting it in the fridge. You can just cover it and leave it on the counter.

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