Gooey butter cake was invented in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, and is still very popular there! This fall twist adds pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice to make a Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake that's perfect for fall gatherings! The best way I can describe gooey butter cake is halfway between a cake and a cheesecake. The lower crust section is a dense cake, and the cream cheese filling remains soft and gooey. This cake is always a crowd pleaser, and it's not very difficult to make!
Key Tips - Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Do not over-bake.
- In my opinion, the key to good gooey butter cake is a crust that is fully cooked through, and filling that is still gooey. Some recipes call for nearly an hour of bake time, but I've found that this overcooks the filling. 40 minutes in the oven has yielded the best results for me.
- Keep in mind that the classic toothpick check (bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean) doesn't apply to this kind of cake because of the cream cheese filling.
Make this for a crowd!
- This recipe is very rich, and makes quite a few pieces, so it's perfect for a fall holiday gathering!
Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Because the filling contains cream cheese, leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. I recommend warming the bars for a few seconds in the microwave before serving, but they are also good cold from the fridge.
Dietary Restrictions - Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
This dish is naturally Vegetarian
Make it Gluten-Free
- I believe this recipe would work well with gluten-free yellow cake mix, but I haven't test it myself yet. If you make it this way, please let us know how it went in the comment section!
A Note On Serving Sizes
I've listed the serving size as one bar, which is 1/30th of the pan (cutting 5x6). That makes each bar about 185 calories.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
- spray oil for greasing the pan
- powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) for dusting
For cake crust:
- 1 box yellow cake mix 13-15 oz per box
- ½ cup melted butter 1 stick per batch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see notes
For filling:
- 1 cup pumpkin purée not flavored pumpkin pie filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoon butter softened
- 16 oz powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) about 4 cups per batch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1.5 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust: starting with the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla, then adding the cake mix and pumpkin pie spice. Mix with a large spoon or spatula, do not over-mix.
- Spread this into the bottom of the greased pan. (the consistency will be about halfway between cookie dough and cake batter)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or by hand), make the filling. Cream together the softened butter and softened cream cheese. Next add the pumpkin purée, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice and whip until smooth, about 2 minutes. Last, blend in the powdered sugar, adding about half first, mixing, then adding the second half.
- Pour the filling into the pan over the top of the crust, and ensure it spreads out evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until a thin crust forms over the top of the cake, but the filling is still gooey. Let cool at least 15 minutes before dusting with extra powdered sugar and slicing. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. For best results, warm leftovers in the microwave for a few seconds before serving. (Note, the top of the cake will not set like a normal cake, it will remain gooey.)
Notes
Nutrition
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If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy my Easy Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, or Dark Chocolate Coated Nutty Buddies!
Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
Andrew says
Delicious recipe! Pretty simple and easy to make - I don’t have a stand mixer and it was no problem mixing the filling by hand. It is very rich though, which is probably a good thing because otherwise I might have eaten the entire thing!