Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake (Easy Ooey Gooey Recipe)
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Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake is one of those desserts that looks simple but tastes completely unforgettable. With a soft strawberry cake mix crust and a rich, creamy, slightly ooey gooey center, this easy dessert recipe is always a crowd favorite at my house.
I’ve made our classic gooey butter cake for years, but adding strawberries gives it such a fresh and fun twist. The first time I stirred diced strawberries into the cream cheese layer, I knew it was going to be a keeper.
If you love strawberry desserts like Strawberry Delight or Strawberry Cream Poke Cake, this one absolutely deserves a spot on your baking list.
Table of contents
Why I Love This Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake
I love this strawberry gooey butter cake because it feels a little fancy but is incredibly easy to make.
Using a strawberry cake mix keeps the crust soft and flavorful without any extra work. The cream cheese filling bakes into that perfectly gooey center that makes gooey butter cake so special. And the fresh strawberries add just enough brightness to balance all that sweetness.
It’s one of those desserts that disappear quickly at church potlucks, family dinners, and spring gatherings.
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the Crust
- Strawberry cake mix
- Egg
- Melted butter
For the Filling
- Cream cheese, softened
- Melted butter
- Eggs
- Powdered sugar
- Diced fresh strawberries
- Vanilla extract
Substitution Tips:
- If your cake mix is 15 to 16.5 ounces, either size works.
- Frozen strawberries can be used, but thaw and drain them very well.
- You can reduce the powdered sugar slightly if you prefer it less sweet, but that classic gooey texture comes from the sugar.
How to Make Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the strawberry cake mix, egg, and melted butter until combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish to form the crust.
In another bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar until completely smooth. Stir in the diced strawberries.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Do not overbake. The center should still have a slight jiggle when you remove it from the oven.
Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving for the prettiest finish.
Pro Tips for the Best Gooey Butter Cake
Do not overbake. The center should still look slightly soft. It will set as it cools.
Use room temperature cream cheese for a smooth filling.
Let the cake cool completely before cutting for clean slices.
A light sprinkle of powdered sugar makes it look bakery-style beautiful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gooey butter cake gets its name from the soft crust and rich cream cheese layer that stays slightly gooey in the center after baking.
Yes. The center should have a slight jiggle when you take it out of the oven. It will firm up as it cools.
You can, but thaw and drain them thoroughly to avoid adding excess moisture to the filling.
Yes. In fact, it tastes even better the next day once the flavors have settled.
Because of the cream cheese layer, it is best stored in the refrigerator if keeping longer than 24 hours.
Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake is one of those easy dessert recipes that feels nostalgic and special all at the same time. It’s simple enough for a weeknight treat but pretty enough for holidays and gatherings.
If you try this recipe, I would love for you to leave a comment and let me know how it turned out for you. Strawberry lovers especially are going to fall in love with this one.
Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 15 oz box Strawberry Supreme cake mix
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter, melted
For the Filling
- 8 oz pkg cream cheese,, softened
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat 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.
- In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth. Stir in the diced strawberries.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Do not over-bake. The center should still be slightly jiggly.
- Cool completely. Sprinkle slightly cooled bars with powdered sugar, if desired. (Highly recommend it!)
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
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More Gooey Butter Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this strawberry version, you’ll definitely want to try some of my other gooey butter cake flavors:
- Classic Gooey Butter Cake
- Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake
- Lemon Gooey Butter Cake
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Each one has that same rich, ooey gooey texture with its own fun flavor twist.
Hi Jennifer! I came across your page after searching endlessly for unique (but simple) ways to use up a Strawberry Cake mix. I followed your recipe mostly as written, with the exception of adding 1 extra egg to the strawberry batter and 1 less to the cream cheese mixture. I tend to not have good luck with using strawberries (perhaps I wait too long to use them and they aren’t as fresh hehe), but to avoid overly browned strawberries because of the long cook time, I thought why not experiment a little?! So, I macerated chopped strawberries with 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice. I cooked them long enough such that the lemon juice and sugar would coat the strawberries and the consistency was just slightly jammy, and then I drained them. And, instead of mixing them into the cream cheese, I layered them in between the strawberry mixture and cream cheese mixture. The end product looked pretty, the strawberries poked through a little and did seem bright(er) in color, yay! I wish I could share the picture I took, the cake/bars look rustic and beautiful. I will share a follow on post with the taste but the smell is divine 😊. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe.
Awesome