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.
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.
Brown Butter Gooey Butter Cake
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!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Classic – 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!
- Textural – 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!
- Easy to Make – Simple pantry ingredients is all you will need to make this tasty treat!
Shopping List
- Golden Recipe Yellow Cake Mix
- Salted Butter
- Eggs
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
Substitutions and Variations
- Switch up the cake mix – Try with your favorite flavor!
- Cream Cheese – You can use a low fat cream cheese if you’d like, but I recommend the full fat for this delicious dessert. Learn How to Soften Cream Cheese here.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar, you can learn how to make powdered sugar here.
Tips
- You can learn more about how to brown butter with step by step photos and video here.
- 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)
More Gooey Inspiration
Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 box golden butter recipe yellow cake mix
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 eggs
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Instructions
Crust
- 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.
Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth. Pour mixture on top of dough crust, leaving a small rim around the edge for the cake crust to rise.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and bake 40-45 minutes. You will a feel slight crust on top, but it won't be jelly-like.
Julie’s Tips
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Explore More
How to Make
- 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
I discovered this recipe during Christmas and have made it countless times since. Easy to prepare and absolutely delicious!
Thanks for taking the time to rate! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy it!
Just made this it is solo good. Perfect for my craving tonight, thanks a lot!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, I love so many of your recipes, you are a genius in the kitchen. I was wondering if you could play around with your Gooey Butter Cake recipe and come up with a from scratch version. I really don’t like using cake mixes and not to put pressure on you, I feel like you could be the one to do it. Would you consider trying? Thank you, suzie
Hi Suzie! You can find my made-from-scratch gooey butter cake here.
Love this recipe
Thank you, Jackie!
Turned out really good! Going to be making this again for Easter
Thank you, Chelsea! I truly appreciate you taking the time to rate.