Gooey Butter Cake Recipe & Variations

It's a favorite for indulging, but it's also an easy go-to dessert recipe that's made with pantry staples. Learn how to make Gooey Butter Cake now!

gooey butter cake variation
4.41 from 5 votes
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Gooey Butter Cake Recipe & Variations

I can remember eating Gooey Butter Cake since I was a child, and it's always been one of my favorites! It's a favorite for indulging, but it's also an easy go-to dessert recipe that's made with pantry staples. Lately, I've been experimenting with different cake mix combinations, and I've come up with all sorts of yummy Gooey Butter Cake variations! Let's start with the basic Gooey Butter Cake recipe which by the way is actually more of a bar cookie.
Servings 24
Author Kristl Story, TheBudgetDiet.com

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 stick butter melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 box powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix together cake mix, melted butter, 1 egg and water until combined.
  3. Press into a 9 x 13 greased pan.
  4. Mix together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla until smooth.
  5. Pour over cake mixture.
  6. Bake 35 - 40 minutes at 350 or until lightly browned.

Recipe Notes

Gooey Butter Cake variations - let me count the ways I love Gooey Butter Cake! 1. Lemon Gooey Butter Cake - use lemon cake mix and add the zest of 1 lemon and juice to the cream cheese mixture. (Optional: for Lemon-Coconut Gooey Butter Cake, press 1 cup of coconut into the cake mix layer before topping with the cream cheese mixture). 2. German Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake - use German chocolate cake mix, press 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup coconut into the cake mix layer before topping with the cream cheese mixture. 3. Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake - use yellow cake mix, press 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips into the cake mix layer before topping with the cream cheese mixture. 4. Spice Cake Gooey Butter - use spice cake mix, press 1 cup chopped pecans (optional) into the cake mix layer before topping with cream cheese mixture. 5. Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake - use butter pecan cake mix, press 1 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup of butterscotch chips into the cake mix layer before topping with cream cheese mixture. 6. Mint Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake - use chocolate cake mix, press in 1 cup of mint chocolate chips into the cake mix before topping with the cream cheese mixture. The cake mix and press-in options are endless! Please share your favorite version of Gooey Butter Cake!

 

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Terri
7 months ago

Has anyone tried adding fresh frozen peaches. If so, what adjustments did you make?

Debra
1 year ago

Why can’t I find a recipe with sweetened condensed milk

Sandy
2 years ago

How much is a box of powdered sugar? I have a large bag…

Betty Jordan
1 year ago
Reply to  Sandy

A 0ne pound box of powdered sugar is equal to 3-1/2 cups of same.

AngieJH1985
1 year ago
Reply to  Sandy

4 stars
1 box is about 4 ½ Cups of Sugar. So, a bag of about 9 total cups

Sandi
2 years ago

Can I sub a gluten free cake mix?

Penny
4 years ago

2 stars
Mine turned out really dry on the bottom. I only baked it for 30 minutes. Don’t know what I did wrong.

Ann
4 years ago

Made this gooey butter cake.It was very good.

James Kratzer
5 years ago

I make a fall one of spiced cake and pumpkin filling in the cream cheese.

Gloria
5 years ago

5 stars
I made it with chocolate cake mix and added cocoa powder to the cream cheese layer. Put Andes chocolate mint chips between layers. No leftovers after coffee party. Eight people and they ate the whole pan. I’m trying to figure out how to do orange dream sickle, any suggestions?

Wendy Katz
6 years ago

I have it in the oven. Do I store in fridge when finished. I can’t wait to try and will post picture shortly. Thank you for sharing all the variations.

Lib M.
8 years ago

My favorite is 1 bag of Heath toffee chips mixed into the cream cheese layer. This is great over a yellow cake or a chocolate cake base. SO SO GOOD!

sabrina
11 years ago

I just made the gooey butter cake w yellow cake mix and between the crust and filling I put 2 cups of fresh blueberries cant wait to try it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julie
12 years ago

I too love playing with classics and coming up with new ideas! 🙂
One of our favorite variations on GBC is made with a red velvet mix and white chocolate chips. Being huge UofA fans from Northwest Arkansas, we call it “Woo Pig, Gooie! Butter Cake!” 🙂

rachelle
12 years ago

4 stars
I’ve made the spice cake variation. Can’t wait to try the chocolate ones. As Valentine’s approaches, strawberry cake would be good. We served that at July 4th last year, and everyone loved it.

Miriam
12 years ago

4 stars
This is so tempting! Thank you for sharing a delectable delight!

Pam
12 years ago

5 stars
My daughter would love this
Stopping in with vB

NYOA
12 years ago

Holy moly this looks good and all of the variations do too! Can’t wait to try!

Sharon Ruggieri
12 years ago

Okay, now that I’ve wiped the drool from my mouth, I gotta make me some of this. I’ve never heard of it before but it looks sooooo good!

Sharon from VB

JDaniel4's Mom
12 years ago

Wow! This really sounds wonderful!

Charise @ I Thought I Knew Mama
12 years ago

Drooling! Love all these ideas!

Tori Peterson
12 years ago

5 stars
Mmm! Looks so good I wanna reach into my computer screen and snatch it. lol. Thanks for sharing. I use to eat this as a kid, and as much as I loved it I have never tried to make it myself. I am now planning to make the chocolate chip gooey butter cake this week however. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Pam at Two Loons
12 years ago

Oh gosh, the lemon gooey cake is SO on my radar screen. Goodbye to my diet but this looks too good to pass up.

Kristina
12 years ago

These all sound very gooey and yummy! I especially like the sound of the lemony one!
Thanks for sharing,
Kristina 🙂

Val
12 years ago

Ooey gooey Wowza! So many options too. I think I want to try the spice cake.

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