Gooey Butter Cake is a super easy two-layer bar dessert. It is so buttery and delicious with that flaky top and that ooey-gooey filling. This dessert is perfect for your next potluck!
Gooey Butter Cake is a great recipe to take to a potluck because it’s a rich dessert so you can cut the pieces small to serve a crowd.
We’re making this recipe easy by using a butter recipe cake mix.
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Key to Success #1 – Use Butter Recipe Cake Mix
One of the keys to this Gooey Butter Cake is using a Butter Recipe Cake mix.
It adds so much buttery flavor to this recipe.
I like to use the Duncan Hines Golden Butter Recipe cake mix, but you can use any brand that you can find at your grocery store.
If you can’t find the butter recipe cake mix, you can use any yellow cake mix in this recipe too.
The yellow cake mix will work just as well in the crust of this Gooey Butter Cake.
The crust is made from the dry cake mix, a half cup of melted butter, and an egg.
Use an electric mixer to mix together the dry cake mix, butter, and egg until it forms a thick dough.
Press the dough into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
I like the Fiesta baking dishes because they are so pretty and colorful.
Key to Success #2 – Soften the Cream Cheese
The delicious filling in this Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is a mixture of cream cheese, butter, eggs, and a little vanilla.
More butter. It’s not called a Butter Cake for nothing!
That’s what makes it so delicious.
Make sure you allow the cream cheese to soften on the countertop before you mix up the filling.
Let it sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
Using a clean bowl and clean beaters, beat the filling ingredients until they are fully combined.
Next, spread the filling over the unbaked crust.
Key to Success #3 – Dust with Powdered Sugar
This lovely Ooey Gooey Butter Cake should bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.
You do not need to pre-bake the crust. The crust and the topping bake together in this recipe.
The top of this cake gets all crinkly and crackly when it’s baking. Yum!
When it comes out of the oven, the center may still be slightly giggly.
Do not overbake the cake. It will continue cooking after it comes out of the oven.
When the cake is finished in the oven, allow it to sit on the countertop for 20 to 30 minutes then sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar.
I have a little aluminum dredge cup that I store some powdered sugar in.
This dredge cup is what I use to sprinkle the powdered sugar evenly over the cake.
The powdered sugar is, of course, optional. But I highly recommend it!
It adds a nice touch to this Gooey Butter Cake.
Try it, you’ll see.
Save this Gooey Butter Cake Bars Recipe to your favorite Brownies and Bars board or your Easy Cake board.
Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup butter. Press mixture into greased baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over the crust. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Do not over-bake. The center should still be slightly jiggly.
- Sprinkle slightly cooled bars with powdered sugar, if desired. (Highly recommend!)
Equipment
Nutrition
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Friday 29th of March 2024
Jennifer, I'm 66 years old and have made these bars for the last 40 years. I've always used butter in the filling/top part of these. I think with out the butter you would be cooking cream cheese icing with eggs. Just my opinion.
Jennifer
Friday 29th of March 2024
I agree with you! I put butter in both the top part and the crust and it's sooo good! Spring is the perfect time to make them too.
Karen
Sunday 11th of February 2024
Does this need to be kept in the refrigerator?
Jennifer
Sunday 11th of February 2024
Hi Karen, this Gooey Butter Cake doesn’t need to be kept in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Marie
Sunday 4th of June 2023
Went by your exact instructions and it came out great! Don't understand why others have had issues. I think pie filling would be really good on top of this with a little whipped cream.
Sheri
Sunday 7th of May 2023
The instructions call for 1/2 cup melted butter in the filling. Cake was soupy. I looked at all the other similar recipes and none call for the butter in the filling. Ruined my granddaughters birthday cake.
Jennifer
Sunday 7th of May 2023
The 1/2 cup of melted butter in the filling is correct. The Pioneer Woman, Paula Deen, and many others include butter in their filling in a Gooey Butter Cake. We always make it with butter in the filling and it’s delicious! You probably needed to bake your cake longer or check the oven temp if it was still soupy. Sorry it didn’t turn out.
Dee frable
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
All my cake mixes are 15+ oz. Recipes call for 18 oz. Can I use 15 oz box?
Jennifer
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
Yes, a 15 oz cake mix will work!