Listen my Salted Caramel Gooey Brown Butter Cake is about to make ya weak in the knees! If you haven’t experienced the magic of brown butter yet, where you been?! Brown butter is life boos, and it turns the cake layer into a showstopper. But don’t sleep on the gooey top layer tho! It’s creamy, caramel-y, and y’all, when it meets that buttery base… The perfect match.
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Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted Butter: We’re browning this butter to get that nutty, deep flavor.
- Yellow Cake Mix: Use the box, but you could whip up a homemade yellow cake batter. Also you can swap yellow for vanilla, white or spice.
- Cream Cheese: I use full-fat but low-fat is fine too.
- Caramel Sauce: I love me some Mrs. Richardson’s for that sweet, buttery goodness, but you can make your own caramel sauce (here’s a vegan version too!).
- Powdered Sugar: Make your own granulated sugar and cornstarch.
How to make Gooey Brown Butter Cake
Step 1: Add unsalted butter to a small 1-quart saucepan and cook over medium low until it melts and starts to bubble. Continue cooking until bubbling subsides and butter turns brown and smells fragrant and nutty, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Step 2: Add yellow cake mix, eggs, and cooled brown butter to a large bowl. Whisk until it comes together into a thick batter.
Step 3: Spread batter evenly into prepared springform pan.
Step 4: Add cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute, until combined and smooth. Continuing on low speed, add in eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate and scraping down the bowl between each egg. Increase speed to medium and add in caramel sauce and vanilla. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute.
Step 5: Pour cream cheese mixture on top of brown butter cake layer. Gently tap pan on counter two or three times to release air bubbles.
Step 6: Place in oven and bake until edges brown and start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is gently jiggly, 35-38 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring around cake, and garnish by sprinkling powdered sugar over the top. For each slice you serve, drizzle with caramel sauce then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Enjoy warm!
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Salted Caramel Gooey Brown Butter Cake
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the Brown Butter Cake Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 box yellow cake mix 13.5 ounce
- 2 large eggs room temperature
For the Gooey Top Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup caramel sauce plus more for garnish (My favorite is Mrs. Richardson’s)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for garnish
- flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
For the Brown Butter Cake Layer
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray (bottom and sides), then layering with a round of parchment paper, then spray again.
- In a small 1-quart saucepan, add unsalted butter and cook over medium low until it melts and starts to bubble. Continue cooking until bubbling subsides and butter turns brown and smells fragrant and nutty, about 6-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together yellow cake mix, eggs, and cooled brown butter until it comes together into a thick batter.
- Spread evenly into prepared springform pan.
For the Gooey Top Layer
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute, until combined and smooth.
- Continuing on low speed, add in eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate and scraping down the bowl between each egg.
- Increase speed to medium and add in caramel sauce and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
To Assemble
- Pour cream cheese mixture on top of brown butter cake layer. Gently tap pan on counter two or three times to release air bubbles.
- Place in oven and bake until edges brown and start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is gently jiggly, 35-38 minutes. Do not overbake or you lose the gooey texture.
- Remove cake from oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring around cake.
- Garnish by sprinkling powdered sugar over the top. For each slice you serve, drizzle with caramel sauce then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Enjoy warm!
Notes
- Don’t Rush the Brown Butter: Let that butter brown slowly over medium-low heat. You want a deep golden color and a nutty smell. If you rush it, you might burn it!
- Room Temp Everything: Make sure your butter, eggs, and cream cheese are all room temperature. Cold ingredients don’t blend as smoothly.
- Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on that cake! You want the top to be jiggly when you take it out. If you overbake it, you’ll lose that signature gooey texture.
- Let It Rest: Once you take the cake out of the oven, give it 10 minutes to cool in the pan before removing the ring. This will help the layers set without falling apart.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Rush the Brown Butter: Let that butter brown slowly over medium-low heat. You want a deep golden color and a nutty smell. If you rush it, you might burn it!
- Room Temp Everything: Make sure your butter, eggs, and cream cheese are all room temperature. Cold ingredients don’t blend as smoothly.
- Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on that cake! You want the top to be jiggly when you take it out. If you overbake it, you’ll lose that signature gooey texture.
- Let It Rest: Once you take the cake out of the oven, give it 10 minutes to cool in the pan before removing the ring. This will help the layers set without falling apart.
Recipe Help
No worries boo! You can use a regular 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper to make it easier to get the cake out. You might need to run a knife around the edges before flipping it out gently.
Oh yes! You can get creative with toppings like chocolate ganache, toasted coconut, or even some fresh berries.
That’s usually a sign the cake was underbaked. You want the edges set and the center still jiggly, but if the middle is too wet, give it another few minutes in the oven next time.
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This cake was a hit! My husband loved it , he commented it tasted like a dessert from a five star restaurant!
I will admit I was a bit nervous and intimidated but your precise step by step directions , pictures and pro tips made it easy !
Thank you Jocelyn for all of your wonderful recipes !
Wow Ajala thank you so so much!
I haven’t made it. But it looks delicious and I will be making it for one of the upcoming holidays.
Wonderful! I hope you love it.