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This easy Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter has a deeper, richer flavor that you’ll crave again and again.
This is a classic St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake with a twist. The browned butter really kicks it up a notch – you won’t believe the difference it makes!
Yep! You read that right. I love everything browned butter and when we had guests coming over a couple weeks ago, I decided to adapt my traditional St. Louis gooey butter cake recipe.
While that version can be a breakfast danish or dessert, gooey browned butter cake makes an incredible dessert!
Serve it al a mode if you want to go all out! If you can find caramel ice cream – even better.
The last couple weeks, we’ve been celebrating with friends and saying goodbye as we are preparing to move to St. Louis. My girlfriends and I went to a new restaurant in Kansas City, Newport Grill.
When it was time for dessert, I immediately eliminated the browned butter cake from my options. I’m not a huge fan of traditional cake and certainly don’t want pass up an incredible dessert opportunity for it.
When friend ordered it and I tasted it, I immediately knew it was not traditional cake.
It was gooey browned butter cake and I had to have it for myself!
Brown Butter is also known as beurre noisette – a warm sauce used in French cooking for vegetables, pasta, fish and chicken.
While it sounds and tastes “fancy” anyone can do it – in fact, you may have on accident without even realizing it!
It is the result of cooking butter until the milk solids turn brown and the water evaporates, resulting in a nutty aroma and flavor.
It tastes rich, like a hint of toasted nuts. Brown Butter enhances just about any baked good that calls for butter, giving it a deeper flavor.
Gooey Butter is a traditional St. Louis dessert that celebs like Paula Deen have recreated dubbing it Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. Whatever you call it, it’s amazing!
Over the years I’ve created a lot of variations to one of our favorite desserts! I don’t want to make the others jealous, but Brown Butter Gooey Butter Cake is my favorite!
It’s a layer of dense, moist cake topped with a sweet cream cheese mixture. The top forms into an amazing delicate crust for a beautiful crunch. It’s texture heaven!
Brown Butter Gooey Butter Cake Ingredients
Simple pantry ingredients is all you will need to make this tasty treat!
- Golden Recipe Yellow Cake Mix
- Butter – unsalted preferred, softened (learn Learn How to Soften Butter)
- Eggs
- Cream Cheese – softened (learn How to Soften Cream Cheese)
- Powdered Sugar – also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar
How To Make Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter in 5 Easy Steps!
- Prep – Preheat oven and grease baking dish.
- Brown Butter – Brown until it achieves a beautiful golden color and nutty aroma.
- Make Crust – Combine crust ingredients and fill dish.
- Make Filling – Combine filling ingredients and top crust.
- Bake
You can learn more about how to brown butter with step by step photos and video here.
Tips
- Use an 8×8, 8×8, 9×11 or 9×13 pan. Just adjust baking time – the thicker your gooey butter cake is, the longer it will take to bake.
- Grease your pan so that the cake doesn’t stick.
- It’s done when a crust has formed on the top, yet the cake is slightly gooey and jiggles a bit when you shake the dish.
- Make it ahead or bake and enjoy when it’s warm.
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Store covered in an air tight container for up to two days at room temp.
- Refrigerate – The cake will last up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freeze – You can also freeze the cake for up to a month by wrapping it in plastic wrap or in a large freezer bag.
Dietary Considerations
- Vegetarian
- Nut Free (so long as you purchase an approved box of cake mix)
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Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter
Classic St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake with a twist – this easy Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter has a deeper, richer flavor that you’ll crave again and again!
Yield
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 box golden butter recipe yellow cake mix
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×9 pan.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, watching carefully, brown the butter until it's a beautiful brown and has a nutty aroma. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cake mix. Add eggs.
- Using a spatula, press dough into pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth. Pour mixture on top of dough crust.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and bake 40-45 minutes. You will a feel slight crust on top, but it won't be jelly.
Tips
Serve al a mode of you want to go all out!
You can make this in an 8×8, 9×9 or 9×13 – it will determine the thickness and you will need to adjust bake time.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 629.53kcal (31%), Carbohydrates: 104.81g (35%), Protein: 5.58g (11%), Fat: 21.85g (34%), Saturated Fat: 12.73g (64%), Cholesterol: 109.39mg (36%), Sodium: 612.72mg (26%), Potassium: 90.14mg (3%), Fiber: 0.69g (3%), Sugar: 81.02g (90%), Vitamin A: 732.78IU (15%), Calcium: 162.22mg (16%), Iron: 1.62mg (9%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Originally Published July 2014, updated November 2019
Grace says
I am going to try to make one.
Carmen says
I am going to make this. Looks delicious!!
dina says
this looks soo good!
ANne says
Looks amazing and sounds delicious! Give me a slice will you? 🙂
Btw, love your way of checking for spam… Hate it when I have to enter in what the picture says and I can’t even read what it says!!
Julie says
I wish I would have! We certainly shouldn’t have indulged on all of it! Oops! Thank you! I try to make it convenient & really appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Sandy @ RE says
Perfect for company. That’s all I’ll say. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Julie! Pinned!