Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Name: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 15.2-oz. box yellow cake mix; 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; 1 large egg, room temperature; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, optional; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; Nonstick baking spray; 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp. kosher salt; 1 lb. powdered sugar, plus more for garnish if desired

Originally, this sweet dessert was a happy accident!

By Hannah Klinger; Recipe by Sloane LaytonPublished: Oct 11, 2022

2 Ratings

the pioneer woman's ooey gooey butter cake recipe

Caitlin Bensel

Yields:

12 serving(s)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 40 mins

Jump to recipe

You don't need to be from St. Louis to love ooey gooey butter cake—just a lover of all things sweet! The cake bakes a bit flatter than standard slices and is topped with a buttery cream cheese layer—not quite a cake, a bar, or a cheesecake, but still totally delicious. Many recipes like this one start with a box of yellow cake mix. Here, a little pumpkin pie spice adds some festive, warm-spiced flavor and makes the cake a worthy entry for your spread of Thanksgiving desserts.

Why is it called gooey butter cake?

In the 1930s, a worker at a St. Louis bakery mixed up the ratio of butter to flour in the bakery's cake recipe. Since these Depression-era ingredients were expensive, the head baker decided to bake them anyway. The result was a "flat, gooey mess," but locals loved it. Now that's one delicious mistake! Later, a version using cake mix and cream cheese added the "ooey" to gooey butter cake.

How gooey is too gooey for butter cake?

When it comes to ooey gooey butter cake, there's a sweet spot between too firm (like a cheesecake) and too soft (a bit of a soupy mess). Be sure to bake the cake until the top layer is still a little jiggly in the center, then let it get completely cool on your counter before slicing. The cake will also firm up if chilled for a couple days in the fridge, so for maximum gooeyness, serve it the day it's baked.

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Ingredients

For the Cake:

1
15.2-oz. box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup
unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1
large egg, room temperature
2 tsp.
vanilla extract
1 tsp.
pumpkin pie spice, optional
1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
Nonstick baking spray

For the filling:

1
8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
2
large eggs, room temperature
5 Tbsp.
unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp.
vanilla extract
1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
1 lb.
powdered sugar, plus more for garnish if desired

Directions

1. Step 1For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Step 2Use a fork to stir together the cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice (if using), and salt in a large bowl until well combined.
3. Step 3Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
4. Step 4For the filling: Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, butter, vanilla and salt and beat on medium until well combined and smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on medium-low until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
5. Step 5Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake mixture in the pan. Bake until the cake is just beginning to brown on the edges but the center is still slightly jiggly, 28 to 32 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving, if you like.