The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (2024)

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The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (1)Say hello to The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) we’ve ever tried! This is the solution to all your holiday dessertneeds.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (2)
The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (3)

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 originatedin 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.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (4)

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 ownGooey Butter Cake Recipe, I testedthe 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.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (5)

Honestly, they were all pretty good. However the cake-mix version was definitely missing something, while the scratch-made yeast versions were just too darn lengthy to make.

In the end, I took what I felt were the best elements of each recipe and created my own.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (6)

So here it is, The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) we’ve ever tried or made. I’m confident you will think so too.

Our Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe is the perfect dessert for holiday season. Decadent hand-held treats with massive homey appeal!

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (7)

Serve at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and/or Christmas Dinner. Take them to parties. Wrap and mail as holiday gifts. Mix thingsup your holiday cookie exchange. The possibilities are endless.

One thing is for sure, no one can resist the Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (8)

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The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (9)

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The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (11)

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The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (12)

Print Recipe

5 stars (21 reviews)

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Absolutely The BEST Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) we've ever tested! Similar to Chess Squares and Philadelphia Style Cake.

Servings: 40 pieces

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

For the Bottom Layer:

For the Top Layer:

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 timeto 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

NOTE: For best cutting results, chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before cutting. If you are in a rush, but want pretty pieces, place the pan in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. Then lift the entire cake out of the pan by the edges of the parchment and cut.

Nutrition

Serving: 2squares, Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 85mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 210IU, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barn Light Electric. All porcelain-enameled loving opinions are my own.

This site contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission.

The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe (From Scratch) (2024)

FAQs

What is gooey butter cake made of? ›

The recipe calls for a bottom layer of butter and yellow cake batter, and a top layer made from eggs, cream cheese, and, in one case, almond extract. The cake is dusted with confectioner's sugar before being served. The cake is best eaten soon after baking it. It should be served at room temperature or warm.

Should you refrigerate gooey butter cake? ›

To store: Store gooey butter cake at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze: Allow the cake to cool to room temperature and then decide on a freezing method. I like to cut gooey butter cake into smaller bars and place them in a gallon freezer ziplock bag.

What makes a cake fluffier butter or oil? ›

Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness.

What is Kentucky butter cake made of? ›

A Kentucky Butter cake is the simplest cake you can find. The ingredients are truly pantry staples: eggs, butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk. Don't skip the buttermilk. Buttermilk is essential for the rise of the cake and its tender texture.

Why is gooey butter cake so good? ›

Made of little else but flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and corn syrup, it's immediately satisfying and luxurious to eat. The result is chewy, rich, and creamy, almost like a vanilla pudding that's been nestled into a blondie. In St. Louis gooey butter cake is everywhere.

What city is known for gooey butter cake? ›

Louis Gooey Butter Cake is a yeast bread topped with the namesake 'gooey' layer. Walk away from anything made with a cake mix and try this original treat instead!

What bakery invented gooey butter cake? ›

In late 1942 or early 1943, Johnny Hoffman of St. Louis Pastries Bakery was working on a Saturday and made what eventually turned out to be Gooey Butter Cake.

Why did my cake turn out gooey? ›

A cake that's wet in the middle, in most cases, has not baked long enough. Put it back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to check every 5 minutes with the toothpick test for any changes.

Is Gooey Butter Cake from St Louis? ›

"What is Gooey Butter Cake you ask? It is a super-sweet, rich, St. Louis original treat!

Is cake better with milk or water? ›

Baking tip #2: adding milk to your box cake mix in place of water adds a dense texture to your dessert leaving it moist and flavorful like a homemade cake. Or, if you prefer, you can add buttermilk, giving your cake a tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness.

What does Crisco do for cake? ›

Crisco® all-vegetable shortening will make your cakes moist, pie crusts flaky, and cookies soft and fluffy, with 0g of trans fat per serving*. One look, and you'll see why we've got butter beat.

What is the best oil to use for baking cakes? ›

Best Oils for Baking

Choosing vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.

Why is it called gooey butter cake? ›

The Gooey Butter Cake originated in the 1930s. According to legend, a German baker added the wrong proportions of ingredients in the coffee cake batter he was making. It turned into a gooey, pudding-like filling.

What makes a cake gluey? ›

Developing too much of the flour's gluten can make the cake rise beautifully in the oven, but sink as soon as you pull it out. The sinking part is what makes the dense and gluey streaks. This can be result of over-creaming the eggs, butter and sugar. To prevent this, cream the ingredients at medium speed.

What's in blue bell gooey butter cake? ›

Gooey Butter Cake is flavorful Cake Batter Ice Cream combined with a luscious cream cheese swirl and rich, gooey butter cake pieces. “Our new Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream is as delicious as the cake made famous in St. Louis,” said Carl Breed, vice president, sales and marketing for Blue Bell.

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