Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Bars Recipe
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Indulge in the flavors of fall with Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, a delicious twist on a classic recipe. This scrumptious treat is quick, easy to prepare, and a definite crowd-pleaser. Satisfy your sweet tooth this Thanksgiving with the season’s best dessert. Discover the recipe now!
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Craving a taste of fall? Look no further than our favorite pumpkin dessert, Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake.
This delicious fall dessert is the perfect combination of creamy, gooey, and oh-so-delicious.
In fact, you could call it an ooey gooey pumpkin cake.
It’s a seasonal twist on our classic Gooey Butter Cake recipe.
With a buttery crust and a luscious pumpkin filling, it’s the ultimate indulgence for pumpkin lovers.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply treating yourself, this recipe will satisfy your autumn cravings in the most delightful way.
Fall is a time of cozy sweaters, crisp air, and of course, indulging in all things pumpkin.
From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin bread to traditional pumpkin pie, there’s no shortage of pumpkin-flavored treats to enjoy.
But if you’re looking for something truly exceptional, Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake is the dessert that will take your taste buds on a joyride.
When the weather starts to get colder, I start to turn to baking all things pumpkin.
These Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Bars are a delicious alternative to pumpkin bars or pumpkin cheesecake bars.
🔑 Key to Success #1 – Use Butter Recipe Cake Mix for the Crust
Using a Butter Recipe Cake mix is the first key to success in making this gooey butter cake.
It gives this dish a ton of buttery fall flavor.
You may use any brand of boxed cake mix that you like.
I like to use the Duncan Hines Golden Butter Recipe cake mix.
Any boxed yellow cake mix will work in this recipe if you can’t find the butter cake mix.
Or you can even use a spice cake mix if you really want to spice things up.
And white cake mix can be used in a pinch, but it does not really have that rich flavor that we’re looking for in a pumpkin season recipe.
Combine the dry cake mix, one egg, and a half cup of melted butter in a medium bowl to make the cake layer.
To create a thick dough for the bottom layer, combine the dry cake mix, butter, and egg using an electric mixer.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray then press the cake batter in an even layer into the pan.
The Fiesta baking dishes are my favorite since they are so attractive and vibrant.
🔑 Key to Success #2 – Start with Softened Cream Cheese
This Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake’s delectable filling is made of a combination of canned pumpkin puree, cream cheese, melted butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little vanilla.
Yes, more butter. It’s not called a Butter Cake for nothing!
That’s one thing that makes these dessert bars out-of-this-world delicious.
Ensure that you’re using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Before preparing the filling, be sure to give the cream cheese some time to soften on the countertop.
Give it at least 30 minutes to rest on the counter for best results.
Softened full fat cream cheese will create a filling that is extra rich and creamy.
It will allow the ingredients to blend smoothly without any lumps over overmixing.
Since we used the hand mixer for the crust, be sure to give the bowl and beaters a quick wash before blending up the filling.
Next, pour the pumpkin mixture on top of the cake layer.
Make sure the pumpkin filling completely covers the cake crust layer so that your gooey bars won’t have any dry spots.
🔑 Key to Success #3 – Bake Until Slightly Jiggly
To achieve the perfect texture and consistency for Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, it’s essential to pay close attention to the baking process.
Once you have combined all the ingredients and prepared the luscious filling, it’s time to let this great recipe bake until slightly jiggly.
This is an important step that ensures the gooey cake retains its gooeyness while still maintaining a deliciously set center.
The magic of this particular cake lies in finding that delicate balance between a firm texture and a soft, velvety filling.
Baking it until slightly jiggly allows the pumpkin gooey butter cake to retain that irresistibly gooey center while also ensuring it holds together when sliced and served.
We’ll bake this Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake for about 45-55 minutes.
After that timeframe, check the cake by gently shaking the pan.
The middle of the pumpkin layer should just jiggle slightly.
You don’t want the entire pan to jiggle and shake around like it’s unbaked.
Only the middle of the pan should be slightly jiggly so that the Gooey Butter Cake will be plenty ooey gooey.
If your pan is still too jiggly, bake for another 3-5 minutes then retest.
Once your Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let the cake cool to room temperature.
You can, of course, eat it when it’s room temperature.
But it will firm up if you allow it to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before you slice it.
Plus, it’s very delicious when it’s cold.
This rich dessert can be cut into small bars so it’ll serve your entire crowd.
Top it with fresh whipped cream or even Reddi-wip whipped cream.
📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Save this Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake recipe to your favorite Autumn Desserts board or your Thanksgiving Desserts board.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 can, 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 3 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 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 the mixture into greased baking dish.
- Mix up the filling in a large bowl by blending together cream cheese and pumpkin puree until combined. Add 3 eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup melted butter then blend well. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until the filling is completely smooth.
- Pour the filling over the crust. Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes until the filling is mostly set.
- Cool completely. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
⭐ Leave a comment and rating below — it helps other readers!
👩🍳 Did you make any changes or substitutions?
I’d love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen.
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Is the nutritional information correct on the serving size?
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using the ingredients listed and is provided as a courtesy. Because ingredient brands and measurements can vary, we recommend using your favorite nutrition calculator if you need exact values.
This was good but needed more spice. Will add pumpkin pie spice next time. Had to cook it a good hour but otherwise was very good.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
These are “Heaven On Earth”!! I’m a retired teacher and whenever I made these I would share them with the other teachers at work. Needless to say, this was a really big hit!!
Do you bake the butter cake mix before putting the filling mixture on?
No, you don’t. You add both layers to your pan and then bake it!
Thank you, mine didn’t quite turn out the same visual wise but the taste is great, maybe it was the dish I used for baking.