Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

SERVES: 15

PREP: 30 Min

COOK TIME: 45 Min

What's ooey and gooey and full of creamy, buttery flavor? Our Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe, of course! This gooey butter cake recipe is drop-everything delicious: when they see you set this butter cake out, they're going to drop everything and run for a piece! And the best part? You don't have to make this gooey butter cake from scratch, because our recipe comes with a shortcut! Who knew you could make such a delicious version of Missouri gooey butter cake right in your own kitchen?

What You'll Need

1 (16.5-ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, melted, divided
3 eggs, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package confectioners' sugar

What to Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cake mix, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 egg. Lightly press mixture into baking dish.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, the remaining eggs, the vanilla, and remaining butter. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar until thoroughly mixed. Spread mixture over batter.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden on top. Make sure not to overbake; center should be a little gooey.

Check This Out!

We've made this Ooey Gooey Butter Cake simple as can be with the addition of cake mix! And we've got tons more cake mix recipes in our free recipe collection of 33 To-Die-For Recipes with Cake Mix.

Wanna have a simple buttery treat on hand? Whip up a batch of our Butter Cookies for your cookie jar. Or try out our Butter Pecan Cake!

Did You Know? Gooey butter cake is a true St. Louis, Missouri tradition! According to legend, the first gooey butter cake came from a German baker in the 1930's who had a bit of a mix-up with how much of each ingredient to use. Well, you can call it a happy accident! Good thing for us, 'cause this delicious and rich-tasting cake managed to make its way to St. Louis in the 1940's. Nowadays, it's almost a sin to visit St. Louis without getting a taste of their gooey butter cake, and many places have even started to serve other tasty variations of this cake. Luckily, you don't have to wait until your next trip to get a taste, 'cause our recipe is just as good! And we've even got a yummy variation for you to try. Our Maple-Bacon Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is fantastic!

Nutritional InformationShow More

Servings Per Recipe: 15

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Calories 401
Calories from Fat 171
Total Fat 19g 29 %
Saturated Fat 9.6g 48 %
Trans Fat 0.4g 0 %
Protein 3.6g 7 %

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Cholesterol 79mg 26 %
Sodium 349mg 15 %
Total Carbohydrates 55g 18 %
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Sugars 44g 0 %

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kahlua34668

Aug 29, 2019

My book club LOVED it!

eileen 0201363

Oct 03, 2017

Leave a comment...My family loves this cake, but it is very sweet. I leave half the confectioner's sugar out

mariacw652 3683602

Aug 23, 2017

The recipe calls for a 16.5 oz box of yellow cake mix but the only boxes I've seen are 15.25 oz. Does the recipe need to be adjusted in any way?

Test Kitchen Team

Aug 24, 2017

Hi there! No adjustments needed for this recipe, a 15.25 oz box will work fine. Enjoy!

msdeb21

May 29, 2017

I made this for a summer family gathering. Everyone loved it. Of course, it is sweet, and it is rich. It has lots of sugar and lots of butter. It's hard to have just one piece, so take it to an event so you have to share! Make sure to have coffee or milk to drink with it. It is an amazing dessert!

HilaryB1

Nov 05, 2016

I made this for a pot luck at work and got raves for a week afterward. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. I did modify it by adding 4 oz more cream cheese.

ddmorado 1734451

Aug 01, 2016

I am trying this tomorrow. I only have about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar though. Am using lemon cake mix, adding 1 box vanilla pudding mix along with the cream cheese. Should bake the same amount of time, no?

Test Kitchen Team

Aug 02, 2016

Hi there! While the Test Kitchen has not made this recipe with these adjustments, we believe that they should work for this recipe and that the baking time does not need to be adjusted. Enjoy!

chefjalopy 6579643

Apr 30, 2016

Super easy and it was a big hit at Coffee Hour after services last Sunday

Mervau

Mar 06, 2016

Grand daughter made this and it turned out great. Some thought it was to sweet but i dont think there is any such thing! 5 stars!

srthompson6731 404 6202

Mar 06, 2016

mine didnt turn out and did just as it said to do -(

Kiwi 120

Sep 06, 2015

I would like to make this from scratch and not a cake mix. Any ideas

dog lover

Mar 21, 2025

Me too! But, the older I get.. I am grateful for a shortcut. The only difference between a "white cake" and a yellow cake is the addition of egg yolks, vs egg whites.

parkergloria1945 0 770633

Sep 02, 2015

I added a can of drained crushed pineapple in with cream cheese mixture. Everyone loved it.

lindacoutcher 2654 899

Jul 02, 2015

Oh this is a keeper for sure! so good!!

leatricecollins 58 65945

Jul 02, 2015

I have not tried this one but am looking forword to trying it this weekend.

3DFamlee 8725247

Jul 01, 2015

This has become the new dish everyone requests for gatherings, not to mention the recipe requests. Can't wait to try some of my own twists on this one!

Blanche

Jun 23, 2015

WONDERFUL AND EASY...PERFECT FOR A QUICK DESSERT, TO TAKE TO THE OFFICE, CHURCH OR ANYWHERE...MY FAMILY LOVES IT...THE ORANGE AND THE LEMON CAKE MIXES MAKES IT REALLY LIGHT AND REFRESHING. TRY THE CHOCOLATE AND SPICE TOO!!! YUM-YUM!!!

I love to bake

Jun 14, 2015

Much requested dessert to bring to family functions. Very addictive and couldn't be any easier.

albateelinterior

May 30, 2015

i like your recipes but I can not prepare most of them as they need ready mix which is not available in our market. is it possible to certain recipe which i can prepare from A to Z thanks

Farmers Daughter

May 29, 2015

I'm going to try this, however being who I am and have to CHANGE something in every recipe, I am cutting the confectioners sugar in half as suggested by another commenter. I am going to mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1 TBLSP cinnamon and sprinkle this on top before baking......shades of snickerdoodles!!

Pruney13 4456462

Mar 16, 2015

Does this cake need to be refrigerated?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 17, 2015

Hello! Yes, you should refrigerate this cake. Enjoy!

Member 4884593

Jan 20, 2016

I leave it out. It never lasts more than a day or two anyway.

truckerswife15 763 0387

Mar 11, 2015

I am wondering if you could use other kinds of cake mixes like strawberry or chocolate?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 12, 2015

Yes, you can most definitely use other flavors of cake mix!

FoodieForever

Jan 19, 2015

I have three things to say...DEE LISH US! When I was introduced to this quick and easy cake it was life changing. I have since made it multiple times for friends and family who rave about it too. If you are watching your sugar numbers, then I recommend using only 8 ounces of confectioners sugar. It should be just as good. Warning this cake is highly addictive. hoorayforbuttercake