Best Gooey Butter Cake Without Cake Mix

Gooey butter cake without cake mix – soft and fluffy cake layers topped with a crackly cream cheese topping, and then dusted with powder sugar

This Gooey butter cake without cake mix has two layers – a traditional vanilla cake layer and a melt-in-your-mouth filling layer with cream cheese and powder sugar. Biting into this is definitely biting into something decadent and crows pleasing!

For more great cake recipes here are some I recommend!

• Easy 9 x13 Chocolate Cake With Buttermilk
• Ultimate Biscoff Cake
• Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting

Why this gooey butter cake without cake mix 

• Single layer – This is a single layer cake, so no stacking or decorating. 
• Cream cheese – It has a cream cheese filling poured right on top of the cake batter to give it that tangy and creamy goodness everyone wants.
• Easy – This cake is easy to make, but it will leave everyone thinking it was harder than it was! 
• Melt-in-your-mouth – every bite melts and fills your mouth with wonderful flavor and texture. 

Ingredients list for Gooey butter cake without cake mix

Before you start baking, here are some notes for the ingredients you will need. I have listed key ingredients that you might not have on hand. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Cream cheese- I like to use full fat cream cheese. It helps the cake set up. 
• Unsalted butter- I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in my recipe.
• Buttermilk – I always suggest using whole milk buttermilk, but whatever you can find is great. 
• Cake flour- I used cake flour to help soften the cake and make it light and fluffy.

Step by step – cake layer 

Here is how to make Gooey butter cake without cake mix. This recipe needs an electric hand mixer. You can use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. I used a hand mixer.

Step 1: Prep your pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 inch cake pan or spring form pan, spray the bottom with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again getting the sides this time. Set aside.

Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.

Step 3: Add the eggs. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar by hand vigorously for about 60 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk for 30 seconds after each addition. Slowly mix in the vanilla extract and the buttermilk. 

Step 4: Fold in the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Slowly fold in the flour mixture until there are only small amounts of flour streaks remaining.

Step 5: Add the batter to the prepped pan. Pour the mixture into the prepped cake pan and with the back of a spoon, gently spread the batter to the sides of the pan. Set aside while you make the cream cheese filling.

Step by step – Cream cheese layer

Here is how to make the cream cheese layer. This recipe needs an electric hand mixer. You can use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. I used a hand mixer. Here are the bowls I used.

Step 1: Beat the cream cheeseIn a medium sized bowl, mix the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.

Step 2: Cream the egg. Add the egg, and mix on high for 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.

Step 3: Add the powder sugar. Add the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each cup has been added. This should take a little over 1 minute to make.

Step 4: Add to the top of the cake batter. Once combined, pour the cream cheese mixture onto the top of the cake batter and use a small offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

Step 5: Bake. Bake for 45-48 minutes, The middle of the cake will still be jiggly but the cake is done when the edges are golden and the middle has cracked.

Step 6: Place in the fridge. When the cake is done, let cool for 10-15 minutes, then place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours to allow the cream cheese to firm up and set.

Tips for the best results 

• Use room temperature ingredients. You want to make sure all of the ingredients are the same temperature. 
• Use full fat cream cheese. It has the best texture and highest fat.
• Use a good high quality pan, I used a spring form that you can find here. 

FAQ 

Can I substitute fat free cream cheese?

No, you need the high fat count from the cream cheese.

Do I have to place it in the fridge to set up?

Yes. The cold helps the cream cheese set up. 

Can I use a 9×9 square pan?

Yes! My favorite pan is right here! 

Storing and freezing

You can store this Gooey butter cake without cake mix in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. It won’t last much longer because of the cream cheese filling. 

Freezing this Gooey butter cake without cake mix

Unfortunately this cake does not freeze well. I might not even need to freeze it, it will be eaten up fast, I promise! 

If you liked this recipe, please rate and review so I can make more recipes in the future!

How to serve: Once the cake is set up, place the cake on the counter for 30-45 minutes until the cake has soften slightly, dust with powder sugar and serve.

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Recipe

Gooey butter cake

Molly Murphy

soft and fluffy cake layers topped with a crackly cream cheese topping, and then dusted with powder sugar

4 from 17 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Servings 5

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the cake

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter slightly melted
• ¾ cup granulated sugar .
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅓ cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese layer

• 8 ounce cream cheese room temperature
• 1 large eggs room temperature
• 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar measured and then sifted.

Instructions

 

For the cake

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 inch cake pan or spring form pan, spray the bottom with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again getting the sides this time. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar by hand vigorously for about 60 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk for 30 seconds after each addition. Slowly mix in the vanilla extract and the buttermilk.
• With a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Slowly fold in the flour mixture until there are only small amounts of flour streaks remaining.
• Pour the mixture into the prepped cake pan and with the back of a spoon, gently spread the batter to the sides of the pan. Set aside while you make the cream cheese filling.

For the cream cheese filling

• In a medium sized bowl, mix the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Add the egg, and mix on high for 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
• Add the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each cup has been added. This should take a little over 1 minute to make.
• Once combined, pour the cream cheese mixture onto the top of the cake batter and use a small offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
• Bake for 45-48 minutes, The middle of the cake will still be jiggly but the cake is done when the edges are golden and the middle has cracked.
• When the cake is done, let cool for 10-15 minutes, then place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours to allow the cream cheese to firm up and set.
• To garnish, dust with powdered sugar

Keyword gooey butter, cream cheese

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!