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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!
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!
Table of Contents
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
You can get the full printable recipe below – you’ll see, it’s so simple!
- Preheat oven.
- Brown Butter.
- Combine first layer.
- Spread mixture in pan.
- Combine second layer until smooth.
- Pour over cake mixture.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top to garnish.
- Bake (leaving it slightly gooey).
- Cool and serve.
You can learn more about how to brown butter with step by step photos and video here.
Tips to Make Brown Butter Gooey Butter Cake
- Use an 8×8, 8×8, 9×11 or 9×13 pan. Just adjust baking time.
- This danish / dessert is best kept covered at room temperature up to 4 days. It does not freeze well (due to cream cheese).
More Gooey Butter Recipes You’ll Love
- Peanut Butter Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
- Gooey Butter Cookies
- Gooey Butter Eggnog Cookies
- Gooey Butter Cake Without a Cake Mix
- Peanut Butter Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
- The Best Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
More Cake Recipes to Love:
- The Easiest Donut Cake
- Mandarin Orange Cake (Made From Scratch)
- Decorated Banana Cake Recipe
- Crazy Good Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Did you make this? Rate the recipe and tag me on social @julieblanner!
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!
Ingredients
- 1 box golden butter recipe yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 pan.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, watching carefully, brown the butter until it's a beautiful brown & has a nutty aroma. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter & cake mix. Add eggs.
- Using a spatula, press dough into pan.
- Combine cream cheese, sugars, vanilla and egg until smooth. Pour mixture into dough.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and bake 40-45 minutes. You will a feel slight crust on top, won't be jelly.
Tips
Serve al a mode of you want to go all out!
You can make this in an 8x8, 9x9 or 9x13 - 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!