This Gooey Butter Cake recipe is one of our favorite easy desserts when we’re craving something extra indulgent! Made with a buttery yellow cake base and a sweet cream cheese layer, it bakes until golden on top while staying perfectly soft and gooey in the center. It’s super impressive but secretly SO easy to make with just a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time. We love serving it for holidays, parties, or anytime we need a crowd-pleasing dessert!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
- The BEST Texture – The top bakes up golden and lightly crisp while the center stays soft and gooey, making for the perfect contrast.
- Quick and Easy – Using cake mix keeps the ingredient list simple and means you only need about 15 minutes of prep time! The entire cake is ready to serve in about an hour.
- Irresistible Flavor – The cake is decadent and buttery, and the cream cheese layer is sweet with a slight tang, similar to our mini cheesecake bites. Every bite is truly indulgent and so delicious.
- Perfect for Sharing – One pan makes 16 servings, so this ooey gooey butter cake is an easy dessert for parties, holidays, and get-togethers. Don’t be surprised when you don’t have any leftovers!
RELATED: Honeybun Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- Yellow Cake Mix – We recommend using Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker for consistent results, but any yellow cake mix will work.
- Eggs – These help bind the cake and give it structure.
- Unsalted Butter – This creates the indulgent, buttery flavor we love!
- Vanilla – Just a splash adds depth and enhances the sweetness of the cake.
Cream Cheese Layer
- Cream Cheese – Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for the best taste and texture.
- Eggs – These help the cream cheese layer set and turn golden.
- Vanilla – This enhances the sweetness and adds subtle vanilla flavor.
- Salt – Just a pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the rest of the ingredients. It won’t make your cake taste salty!
- Unsalted Butter – Melted butter makes the cream cheese layer even more decadent.
- Confectioners’ Sugar – Also known as powdered sugar, this sweetens and thickens the cream cheese mixture without making it grainy.
How to Make Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
This recipe comes together in two parts, but the steps are super simple. You’ll need a 9×13 cake pan, a couple of large bowls, and a stand mixer or hand mixer. Here’s how to make this easy Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe:
- Combine the cake layer – Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl just until no streaks remain.
- Transfer the cake batter – Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan, spreading it out in an even layer.
- Beat the cream cheese – Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients – Beat in the wet ingredients until mostly smooth. It’s okay if there are a few small lumps! Add the confectioners’ sugar a little bit at a time, beating in between, until smooth.
- Layer – Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter.
- Bake – Transfer the pan to a preheated oven and bake until the top is nearly set.
- Serve – Cool the cake at room temperature, slice, and enjoy!
Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Let the cream cheese and eggs come to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Don’t worry about the thick cake batter. The cake mixture will be very thick! Use a rubber spatula or your fingertips to press it into an even layer in the pan.
- Add the sugar gradually. Mix the confectioners’ sugar into the cream cheese mixture 1 cup at a time for easier, more even mixing. We find that if we add it all at once, the cream cheese layer becomes clumpy!
- Don’t overbake. This is the key to the gooey texture we want! The cake is ready when the top is golden and nearly set but still looks slightly wavy and a little gooey.
- Let it cool before slicing. Give the cake about 25 minutes to cool after baking. This gives the layers time to set while keeping the center soft.
You’ll Also Love: Cookies & Cream Cake
Variations
Add Chocolate Chips – Sprinkle semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips over the cream cheese layer before baking for a little extra sweetness and chocolate flavor.
Make it Chocolate – Swap the yellow cake mix for chocolate cake mix to create a chocolate gooey butter cake.
Finish with Confectioners’ Sugar – Once the cake has cooled, dust the top with extra confectioners’ sugar for a pretty appearance.
How to Store
This ooey gooey butter cake recipe is best served right away. However, if needed, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Or freeze the cake for up to 3 months! To do so, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, and transfer them to a sealable bag or freezer-safe container to freeze.
Thaw frozen cake in the fridge overnight. Then, bring leftovers to room temperature to restore some of the gooey texture before serving.
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Apple Fritter Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Strawberry Crunch Cake
- Easy Coffee Cake Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Rate it below and sign up for our email list to get the BEST dessert and drink recipes delivered straight to your inbox!
Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 yellow cake mix, I used a 15.25-ounce Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
- 2 large eggs
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups (1 pound bag) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Make the Cake Layer:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9”x13” cake pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper, too.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Switch to a rubber spatula once the batter becomes super thick and mix until combined.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula or press down with your fingertips.
Make the Cream Cheese Layer:
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and melted butter, and beat until mostly smooth. It’s ok if there are some lumps.
- Add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating in between each addition.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the cake is nearly set, the top is golden and slightly wavy, and just a bit gooey-looking.
- Let cool for 25 minutes before serving!
Leave a Reply