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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Desserts

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe {Video}

    Published: Jan 18, 2023 ยท Updated: Dec 9, 2023 by Tammilee ยท This post may contain affiliate links

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is decadent, rich, and buttery! It is hard to believe that it is made with a yellow cake mix.

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake text over slices of gooey butter cake on parchment paper

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

    Contents show
    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
    How to make Gooey Butter Cake
    Preparation and Storage
    Recipe Variations
    When to serve Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
    Great Dessert Recipes
    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
    Ingredients
    Cake Base Ingredients
    Cream Cheese topping
    Instructions
    Kitchen Tools
    Nutrition

    I first heard about Gooey Butter Cake recipe from friends who live in St. Louis, Missouri. They kept telling me it was the best Ooey Gooey cake you could make and how epic and delicious it was. This sent me on a path to making the best gooey cake I could make.

    I have seen these Gooey Butter Cake Bars listed as the Original Neiman Marcus Bars, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, the Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, or simply Gooey Butter Cake and Texas Gold Bars depending on what articles you read.

    Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is famous and served in all of her restaurants. There are even pumpkin gooey butter cakes and chocolate gooey butter cakes that I am going to have to work on making soon.

    In researching this Gooey Butter Cake Bar recipe I learned that they became famous in the 1930s in St. Louis. Recipe legends say that this recipe was made by mistake. That a local St. Louis baker accidently changed the ratio of flour and butter in one of their bakery recipes.

    We like making this for potlucks, family dinners, and summer barbecues. Everyone loves how it tastes and it is a great sweet treat.

    We took these over to my husband's mom and grandmother and they were gone before I even realized it. They LOVED THEM!!!

    They keep asking when I am going to make them again and bring them over. LOL.

    I love that you don't have to measure out flour, baking powder, and so on to make these. We skip making the from scratch and use a cake mix instead.

    There are two distinct layers of goodness in this ooey gooey butter cake recipe. The bottom layer is yellow cake and the top layer is cream cheese goodness.

    The bottom layer has a firm texture while the top layer is melt in your mouth goodness. Combined they make the perfect sweet treat.

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe ingredients powdered sugar, yellow cake mix, cream cheese, butter, and eggs

    Ingredients

    This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you'll need to make an epic Gooey Butter Cake Bars! Specific measurements and step by step instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

    • Yellow Cake Mix
    • Eggs
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Unsalted Butter
    • Cream Cheese
    • Confectioners' Sugar/powdered sugar

    Handheld mixer above a bowl of cream cheese topping next to the base layer of ooey gooey butter cake

    Equipment Needed

    9 x 13 baking dish - A 3 quart baking dish works perfectly for this recipe

    Non-stick cooking spray

    Parchment Paper - We suggest using parchment paper to make it easier to remove these cake bars.

    Heat resistant potholdersย - A couple of years ago we had a fire scare when we didn't realize we had turned a burner on and a cloth potholder caught fire. Thankfully we walked by the kitchen and saw the smoke and were able to get it out ourselves. Since then we have only used these heat-resistant potholders.

    Hand Mixer - A hand electric mixer makes this recipe easy to mix. You can also stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment would also work.

    How to make Gooey Butter Cake

    I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post but here's a quick version.

    Combine cake mix, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Press the bottom cake layer into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

    Mix together cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter with a hand mixer until creamy. Then add in confectioner sugar.

    Spread over cake batter layer

    Bake and cool! Make sure to cool completely before slicing.

    ooey gooey butter cake bars on parchment paper

    Preparation and Storage

    Make Ahead - You can prep, assemble, bake and cool the cake 24-48 hours ahead of serving it to make life a little easier.

    Storage - Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

    Freezing - You can freeze individual servings by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. To freeze the entire gooey butter cake wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

    Recipe Variations

    Garnish - Fresh berries

    Cake Mix - Change up the recipe base by using different cake mixes. Try using a lemon cake mix, strawberry cake mix, chocolate cake mix, pound cake, or pumpkin cake mix. We love making epic cake recipes.

    Lemon - Use a lemon cake mix and add a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture.

    Add ins - Add in extra flavor by mixing in chocolate chips, toffee bits, nuts, coconut flakes, or crushed candy bars (Butterfinger, Snickers, kit kat)

    Magic version - Mix all of the ingredients in one large bowl and bake together. You will not have the layers within the gooey cake bars but you will have epic buttery flavor in a delicious cake.

    gooey butter cake on parchment paper

    Recipe Tips

    Don't forget to set out the cream cheese and butter so it can reach room temperature.

    Make sure to preheat oven to 350 degrees

    We suggest spraying the pan with a bit of cooking spray so the parchment paper does not move around the prepared pan when you add the cake mix bottom layer.

    Serve these Ooey Gooey Butter bars with a napkin or 3. They are definitely packed with butter and the bottoms of them can be a bit buttery.

    Make sure to allow the bars to cool completely before serving.

    Cooking times may vary depending on your oven and elevation.

    The top layer will deflate as the bars cool and start to crack! Don't worry this is how they are supposed to look.

    Printable recipe card instructions are below.

    Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

    When to serve Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

    Here are some of our favorite occasions to serve this delicious butter cake:

    • Easter
    • Family Dinner
    • Barbecue
    • Potluck
    • Picnic
    • Party Food
    • Game Day

    Great Dessert Recipes

    Butterfinger Cake

    Strawberry Poke Cake

    Air Fryer Smores

    Lemon Dump Cake

    4th of July cookies

    Oreo Fudge

    No bake chocolate oatmeal bars

    We have a ton of recipes with yellow cake mix that taste amazing! Plus 60+ more Cream Cheese Recipes to try.

    Do you love recipes? Check out ourย copycat recipes,ย dessert recipes, and ourย CrockPot Recipes.

    Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN,ย Facebook,ย Instagram, andย Pinterest,ย for all of our recipe posts.

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe on parchment paper with a cloth napkin

    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

    How to make delicious Ooey Gooey Butter Cake bars with a yellow cake mix! So easy to make and they taste amazing.
    4.19 from 32 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 537kcal
    Author: Tammilee Tips

    Ingredients

    Cake Base Ingredients

    • 1 yellow cake mix
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ยฝ cup Butter melted

    Cream Cheese topping

    • 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ยฝ cup Butter melted
    • 4 cups Confectioners Powdered Sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. We suggest spraying the pan with non-stick spray to help hold the parchment paper in place.
    • Mix together the yellow cake mix, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. This batter is super thick to spread!
    • Flatten the cake batter as much as you can in the bottom of the pan.
    • Mix together softened cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter with a hand mixer.
    • Slowly add in confectioner sugar 1 cup at a time until combined
    • Spread cream cheese mixture over the cake batter layer evenly.
    • Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool before serving. The cake will deflate a bit and the top will crack as it cools.

    Kitchen Tools

    • 9X13 Pan
    • Hand Mixer
    • Large Mixing Bowl

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 537 Calories from Fat 216
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 24g37%
    Saturated Fat 15g94%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 116mg39%
    Sodium 531mg23%
    Potassium 73mg2%
    Carbohydrates 76g25%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 59g66%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 806IU16%
    Calcium 123mg12%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Tammilee

    Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
    You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle

      December 24, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      STL native husband said this was the best gooey butter cake he's ever had. Will definitely make this again.

      Reply
    2. Joy Panem

      June 07, 2023 at 12:30 pm

      Thank you for sharing your recipe

      Reply
    3. Sandy

      October 02, 2022 at 7:00 am

      5 stars
      My family loves this!

      Reply
    4. Joannice

      June 26, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      A friend of mine n church gave
      Me this recipe probably back
      N 2004 it is delicious

      Reply
      • Phyllis

        March 24, 2023 at 6:10 pm

        5 stars
        Love this recipe. A few years ago I added a cup of mashed sweet potatoes. Turned out to be a great alternative to sweet potato pie. A family favorite.

        Reply
    4.19 from 32 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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