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Gooey Butter Cake from Scratch

posted by Liz Berg on March 29, 2020 (updated 10/16/22)

My family adores Gooey Butter Cake AKA Gooey Butter Bars. This from-scratch recipe is even better than the cake mix version that’s been around for decades!

The original recipe was developed in St. Louis nearly a hundred years ago. It’s a safe bet there were no boxed mixes involved!

Overhead view of gooey butter cake slices on a white plate with raspberries.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Reader Endorsement

3 History of Gooey Butter Cake

4 How to Make

5 Frequently Asked Questions

6 You May Also Like:

7 Gooey Butter Cake from Scratch

Why You Must Make

I was baking a version of Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Cake long before she was on TV. In fact, one of the nurses I worked with shared the recipe before I was married. Way back when. We were creating an array of holiday treats for the staff on our oncology unit. Both of us dug through the recipe cards copied from our mothers for some old favorites. This was one of Anne’s. She called them Gooey Butter Bars and my family shortened this favorite dessert to “gooey bars.”

The cake mix version results in a cloying dessert with an artificial taste.
This ooey gooey butter cake recipe is SO much better!
My family has loved this St Louis Gooey Butter Cake for decades! You must see if yours will, too.

The whole family loved this version of gooey butter bars. I’m certain I’ll still make the cake mix version on occasion when time is tight! But this is my favorite recipe. And for a portable version, try these tasty Gooey Butter Cookies!!

Reader Endorsement

From Terry: Ok, I am a little upset that I tried this recipe, because this cake is DANGEROUS!! O. M. G. I’ve made it several times with the cake mix for crust and always loved it but wished the crust was thinner. This recipe is PERFECTION and I will sing its praises!!

Two gooey butter bars on a round white plate with fresh raspberries and mint.

History of Gooey Butter Cake

Years after making these bars for the first time, I found out that these dessert bars were a St. Louis, Missouri phenomena known as gooey butter cake. Supposedly they were an accidental invention in the 1930s. The story goes that a baker was making a coffee cake and messed up the proportions. Instead of the typical texture, the resulting dish was gooey with a pudding-like center.

No matter the name, this St. Louis Butter Cake is an uber-sweet layered dessert with a dense cake-like base and a luscious, sugar-laden cream cheese topping that forms a paper-thin crackled layer when baked. A sprinkle of powdered sugar is all that’s needed to finish off these gems.

One slice of gooey bars on a square white plate with a powdered sugar duster.

How to Make

Prep your baking pan by lining it with non-stick foil. This helps prevent the bars from sticking to the pan and also creates a sling to remove the cooled bars to a cutting board to slice.
Sift the dry ingredients for the bottom layer, add the liquids, mix, and pat evenly in the pan.
For the next layer beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the other ingredients as listed, ending with the powdered sugar.
Pour over the crust, smooth, and bake.
When cooled, remove from pan to slice, and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

What If I Don’t Have Cake Flour?

PRO-Tip: You can easily make your own version of cake flour with corn starch and all-purpose flour. Measure out 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Whisk together and use in this recipe. Cake flour has less gluten and helps make more tender baked goods. The cornstarch dilutes the flour, therefore reducing the amount of gluten in the final recipe.

Why Does My Cream Cheese Need To Be at Room Temperature?

After years of making cheesecakes, I’ve learned to set my cream cheese on the counter about 2 hours before I plan to start mixing. If I don’t, there will be little bits of cream cheese that don’t blend smoothly into the batter. Although it won’t ruin your dessert, this extra step makes a more homogeneous-looking batter. If you forget, take the cream cheese out of the box, but still in its foil wrapper, place it in a bowl of hot tap water, and let it warm up for about 15 minutes.

How Do You Store Gooey Butter Cake?

Keep these bars covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. They do not need to be refrigerated. For longer storage, they can be refrigerated up to a week and frozen for up to 3 months.

If desired, cut into bars, spread them out on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm. Then they can be placed in a freezer-grade Ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. One or two can be pulled out and defrosted as needed.