Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter

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!

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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!

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)

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4.98 from 47 votes

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Gooey Butter Cake with Brown Butter

By Lifestyle Gleam

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!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

Servings: 16

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Ingredients  

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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

Serve al a mode if 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.

Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 412IU | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

How to Make

1. Prep – Preheat oven and grease baking dish.
2. Brown Butter – Brown until it achieves a beautiful golden color and nutty aroma.
3. Make Crust – Combine crust ingredients and fill dish.
4. Make Filling – Combine filling ingredients and top crust.
5. Bake