Gooey Butter Cake
Say hello to this fantastic Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe! This is the solution to all your holiday dessert needs.
What is Gooey Butter Cake?
Sticky-sweet ooey gooey butter cake… Ever tried it?
If not, you have been missing out!
Gooey butter cake is a simple two-layered snack cake with a soft, sumptuous top layer and a tender, crumbly, almost shortbread-like layer on the bottom. It originated in St. Louis, Missouri, nearly a century ago and is similar to other regional treats like Southern Chess Squares and Philadelphia Style Cake.
I like gooey butter cake the most, if only for its name.
There are countless recipes on the web for semi-homemade and made-from-scratch Gooey Butter Cake, Chess Squares, and Philadelphia Style Cake.
I’ve tried many of them. So many of them.
In fact, when I decided to make my own Gooey Butter Cake Recipe, I tested the cake-mix version, the scratch-made yeast version, cream cheese and non-cream cheese versions, and nut versions… All in the same week.
You could say I get a little obsessive at times.
Honestly, they were all pretty good. However the cake-mix version was definitely missing that fresh butter flavor, while the scratch-made yeast versions were just too darn lengthy to make.
Ultimately, I took what I felt were the best elements of each recipe and created my own.
So here it is, the best Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe we’ve ever tried or made. I’m confident you will think so, too.
When To Serve Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Our Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe is the perfect dessert for the holiday season. Decadent hand-held treats with massive homey appeal!
Serve at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and/or Christmas Dinner. Take them to parties. Wrap and mail as holiday gifts. Mix things up in your holiday cookie exchange. The possibilities are endless.
One thing is for sure: no one can resist the Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe.
How To Make this Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Firstly, pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Keep a close eye on how long you grind them – a little too long, and you might accidentally make almond butter.
Then, toss in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Next, add the eggs and butter and slowly form a loose dough.
Drop your cake batter in a pan and gently pat it to form an even layer. Be careful about packing it too much – you don’t want your cake to be dense.
Next, to start the gooey top layer, whip the cream cheese in the food processor. Once it is light and fluffy (1-2 minutes), add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and pulse the mixture until a smooth paste forms. Lastly, add powdered sugar and whip until smooth.
Make sure you are scraping the bowl between adding ingredients so that everything is mixed in well and your batters are nice and smooth.
Pour the cake mixture on top of the first mixture into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. When it’s done, it should be fluffy and a nice golden brown.
Keep in mind that this recipe must be TOTALLY cooled before slicing. The time it takes to cool allows the cake to finish cooking and firm up to hold its shape.
Finally, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Get The Full (Printable) Recipe Below.
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Looking For Other Great Holiday Recipes:
- Scotcharoos (Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars)
- Best Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake
- Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Bottom Layer:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds, ground
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 12 tablespoons melted butter
For the Top Layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the food processor. Pulse to combine. Then add the eggs and butter. Turn the food processor on low and run until the mixture forms soft crumby dough.
- Dump the dough into the prepared pan. Lightly press the dough evenly over the surface of the pan. Don’t pack it down too much. Set aside.
- For the top layer, wipe out the food processor bowl and add the cream cheese. Turn on high and whip to soften. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat the mixture again until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl again, and mix one more time to make sure there are no clumps.
- Pour the mixture over the bottom layer. Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. The top should be golden and puffed up in the center when it’s done. If the top starts to turn dark before it puffs up, lay a loose piece of foil over the top to stop the browning, and continue baking.
- Allow the gooey butter cake to cool completely at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barn Light Electric. All porcelain-enameled loving opinions are my own.
Can this recipe have additional flavors added to it? Like apple or pumpkin, maybe chocolate?
Hi Samantha,
If you are using spice blends (like apple pie spice) or extracts you can definitely add in flavors. However, I’m not sure how real fruit or chocolate will change the texture. Hope this helps! :)
I have a question for making the night before what would be the best way to store it so it’s still keeps its flavor and freshness and texture?
Hi Kary,
Once the cake is COMPLETELY cool, wrap the top of the pan with plastic and refrigerate until ready to cut and serve.
Hey there,
I’m interested in making this for my boyfriends birthday. We now live in Colorado, and I am still trying to get used to baking in high altitudes…any advice on baking at a higher elevation?
Hi Liza,
Here is a great article on high altitude baking to help you make adjustments to any recipe: https://www.wheatmontana.com/content/high-altitude-baking-how-make-your-recipes-work-mountains
Hi! I am very interested in trying this for the first time, however, I am allergic to nuts. Can I just leave out the almonds and do I have to make any adjustments if I do?
Hi Angela,
Yes, you should just be able to leave out the nuts without making additional tweaks. Let me know how they turn out! :)
This is great recipe. Everyone whose tried it loves it. Even had one person from St Louis say its the best they had. Great texture. I think the ground almonds are the key but with butter, cream cheese and sugar its all good!
I just made this a second time to make sure that the first time wasn’t a fluke. Nope, this is the best gooey butter cake that I or my family and acquaintances have eaten, and we all grew up in. St. Louis . I was forced to exchange the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend because of recent medical issues. Nobody, and I mean nobody knew the difference. Thanks Sommer for not only meeting a need, but exceeding it.