Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Y’all, this is the original authentic Ooey Gooey Butter Cake recipe. No substitutions will do. Straight from my Mississippi bred St. Louis resident Aunt Beverly, this recipe has been in my family for decades, and I’m ready to share it with y’all. This ooey gooey butter cake has got that perfect buttery chewy cake-like crust with a wonderful custardy cream cheese topping. Sprinkle on that powdered sugar and get your whole life! This is the true original St. Louis classic done right.

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Y’all it’s legit funny how a craze can begin. A few years back, the baking world lost their mind over the gooey butter cake trend. Little did most folks know, this cake was invented decades ago—in St. Louis, not the South.  I know most people are familiar with the Paula Deen gooey butter cake version but honestly the props should be given rightfully to St. Louis. I ended up making the original ooey gooey butter cake recipe straight from my Aunt Beverly on Food Network’s The Kitchen, and it was a hit. So here I am sharing it with you boos. This is the original, and quite frankly, the best out there.

What is Ooey Gooey Butter Cake?

Ooey gooey butter cake was a recipe that first started in St. Louis. In fact, my mom first received this recipe from my Aunt Beverly, a St. Louis resident, over 40 years ago y’all. She would make it whenever we visited her and her family: my Uncle Richard and my cousins LaKeisha and Raquel.

You can find the St. Louis gooey butter cake around several bakeries in the area because it is a Missouri staple.  It is “the” dessert of that area, and it’s a darn good one to claim. What makes it special is the two different textures. It has a buttery cake bottom layer that is rich and chewy with an unreal gooey custardy cream cheese topping.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Original Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

• Yellow Cake Mix: this is the base that gets the party started with zero effort.
• Eggs: We need these for the bottom cake layer to bind the ingredients and also for that gooey top layer to create that custard essence.
• Butter: Ain’t nothing like butter to add some bomb flavor and richness to that bottom layer.
• Confectioner’s Sugar: This is gonna give our gooey butter cake recipe topping some sweetness.
• Cream Cheese: Can’t nothing beat cream cheese when it comes to providing tangy creamy vibes.
• Vanilla: Grab pure for a bit of aromatic warmth.
• Salt: I add just a bit to balance and enhance the sweetness.

How to Make Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Step 1: Create the Bottom Cake Layer

1. Preheat your oven to a toasty 350ºF then prep your pan with your nonstick method of choice.
2. Whisk together the cake mix, eggs and melted butter until they are combined and thickened up.

Next pat that cake batter evenly into your prepared pan.

PRO TIP: Line your pan with parchment paper long enough to leave some overlapping on the sides. This will make it a breeze to lift out of the pan once that cake is baked up.

Step 2: Get into the Gooey Topping

1. In your stand mixer or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, mix eggs, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and a pinch of salt at low speed.
2. Once everything’s mixed up, turn up the speed to high and let them all get well incorporated.
3. Pour this gooey goodness over your base layer, spread evenly, and pop it in the oven.
4. Give it 30-35 minutes in the oven, but remember, gooey in the center is what we’re aiming for. Leave that jiggly right where it is.
5. Cool for about 15 minutes and serve it up.

How to Serve Cake Mix Gooey Butter Cake

• Classic Vibes: Nothing like a dusting of powdered sugar right over the top while it’s warm. It adds a little something.
• Whipped Cream: Just a dollop of fresh whipped cream adds a bit of creamy richness to the gooey butter cake.
• Ice Cream: Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a traditional take or go with something super fun like strawberry ice cream or raspberry ice cream.
• Sauce it Up: Add a nice drizzle of chocolate ganache or caramel sauce for a bit of decadence honey!
• Dessert Spread: Serve this up with other super easy desserts like kool aid pie, egg pie, tea cakes, lemon crinkle cookies and to make a buffet fit for entertaining.

Recipe Substitutions

• Cake Mix: A prepackaged yellow butter cake mix is always the move here but if you can’t find it, you can make your own cake batter to use instead. This yellow cake is a great option.
• Butter: I use unsalted but salted is fine. Just omit the salt here. You can also substitute with a neutral oil here. It will still be moist but won’t have as much flavor.
• Cream Cheese: I would go by the book here and keep the cream cheese but mascarpone is a cool option if cream cheese isn’t available anywhere on the planet. Just sayin.
• Powdered Sugar: If granulated is all you have, just blitz it in a blender until it gets powdery.
• Vanilla: Grab any extract you like to replace it.

Recipe Variations and Additions

• Gluten-Free: There are some bomb gluten-free cake mixes on the market now so just use in place of the cake mix so your gluten sensitive boos can enjoy this gooey butter cake recipe too.
• Get Fruity: Swap out that yellow cake mix for something fun like strawberry or even lemon. Add a little zest too to really make it pop. You can even swirl some preserves into the topping for a beautiful twist. It’s a whole vibe y’all.
• Get Nuts: I love a bit of Southern influence with the addition of some finely chopped pecans in the bottom layer cake mix. Brown the butter too before you add to the topping for some additional depth.
• Chocolate: Replace the yellow cake mix with chocolate cake mix and toss some chocolate chips into the top layer mixture before baking.
• Sweet Potato: This is my fave twist. Replace the cake mix with a spice cake. Also add some pureed sweet potato or pumpkin to the topping along with cinnamon and nutmeg is a whole fall mood y’all.
• Adult Vibes: Just a splash of bourbon to the topping is giving adults all the fun they need.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Room Temp Ingredients: For this recipe to work, the ingredients must blend together smoothly. Softened cream cheese and room temp eggs are legit necessary to avoid lumps.
• Don’t Overmix: Make sure you just mix the cake batter until it comes together. If you keep on mixing, the gluten will overdevelop and make the bottom layer tough. And this goes for the top gooey layer too. Make sure you don’t overmix and add too much air.
• Don’t Overbake: We gotta keep that topping super gooey so don’t overbake it. It’s gotta stay moist so keep that jiggle.
• Let it Chill: Don’t serve this up until you let it cool. This will let the gooey topping set up properly.

How to Store Gooey Butter Cake

• Room Temperature: Make sure your ooey gooey butter cake recipe it is cooled completely before sealing the it in an air-tight container. This keeps it moist and fresh for up to 2 days at room temp.
• Fridge: Gooey butter cake will last for up to 4-5 days. Make sure it is completely well covered. You can pop in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up and get that gooey texture back.
• Freezer: Freeze individual slices for up to 2 months. Just thaw at room temp when ready to serve it up.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Cake Recipes to Try

• Honey Bun Cake
• Sock It To Me Cake
• Texas Sheet Cake
• Coca Cola Cake