Gooey Butter Cake
A comforting vegetarian built around yellow cake mix and cream cheese — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and baking dish. At easy difficulty across 7 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Dairy Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 175C and lightly grease a 23 cm square baking dish.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a bowl, combine the cake mix, one egg and half the melted butter, mixing to a thick dough.
- Press this dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish to form the base layer.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the remaining two eggs, the vanilla and the rest of the melted butter.
- Gradually add the confectioners sugar to the cream cheese mixture, beating until smooth and pourable, then spread it gently over the base layer.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the edges are set and golden but the centre still has a slight wobble; do not overbake, as the gooey centre is the point.
- Cool the cake completely in the dish, then dust generously with extra confectioners sugar and cut into squares to serve.
You'll use: Oven · Baking dish
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Gooey Butter Cake take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 6 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Gooey Butter Cake vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Gooey Butter Cake is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: 182365 Gooey Butter Cake.jpg by Amanda, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.