How to Nest for Less™

Fall Favorite: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

in Recipes on

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year for anything pumpkin: pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, my mom’s traditional pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread from my mother-in-law, and of course Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake!

I know it’s a St. Louis favorite, but some of you might not know what gooey butter cake is. Hmm… how can I put it? Uh, it’s the most delicious thing on the face of the earth!

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
The ol’ St. Louis story goes that was created in the 1930s by a baker who was trying to make cake batter and accidentally reversed the proportions of sugar and flour.

Through the years I’ve tried many gooey butter cakes, but this is by far the best!

pumpkin gooey butter cake ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

  • 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 16-ounce box powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, combine all of the cake ingredients and mix well. Pat the mixture into a lightly greased 13×9-inch baking pan or two round pans.

pumpkin gooey butter cake recipe
Prepare filling:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together.

Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and mix well.

Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

pumpkin gooey butter cake recipeMake sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar.

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Absolutely delicious! Along with the traditional pumpkin pie, my family likes to serve this delicious dessert after Thanksgiving dinner.

And when Ellie saw me making this last weekend she offered to be my model for the photos. That NEVER happens. Hmm… I think she just wanted in on the gooey butter cake.

recipe pumpkin gooey butter cake

Hope y’all enjoy this tasty treat from St. Louis! Maybe next time I’ll introduce you guys to another local favorite: toasted ravioli  :)
 PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
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Comments

  1. Really, I’m the first comment? This looks crazy good Erin!! I have everything to make this except the cake mix. I’ll be pinning the recipe and definitely making it in the near future. Thanks soo much for sharing! I LOVE anything pumpkin. If you do too, you should come by and check out my super easy pumpkin spice cake. Hope you’re having a great weekend. = )

    ~ Catie

    Reply

  5. How can I not try this recipe … It’s pumpkin, it’s easy and it’s from Paula Deen… Thank you for sharing the recipe your pictures and tutorial. This was a very nice post!

    Reply

  6. OMG! I grew up in the STL area and while I loved ooey gooey butter cake, I took them for granted. Then I moved to Champaign where they couldn’t be found and then to Chicago where people look at me like I’m nuts when I ask for one! I haven’t had one in YEARS! Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be testing this one!

    Reply

  14. DEFINITELY trying this one…TODAY!! Have a friend recently discharged from hospital, and it’s my turn to do dessert for her…she’ll LOVE this!! Thanks loads!

    Reply

  17. Love that this makes two…I’m gonna try and freeze one for a last minute dessert surprise! Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  20. Ok so I just made everything according to your directions…did the filling really need 3 eggs, a stick of melted butter, and everything else? I have made this before, but the filling was just the 4 cups of powdered sugar and the cream cheese. This called for that, plus butter, plus pumpkin, plus an extra egg, and the filling turned out really runny (not the consistency you have in the picture above). I have it in the oven right now with the crust, but I’m afraid it’ll turn out interesting. Can you just verify that the filling ingredient list is right? Thanks!

    Reply

  22. Help! I really want to make this cake, but I cannot find any cake mixes that are 18 1/4 ounces. How can I use a 15 1/4 ounce cake mix in this recipe? Will it work? Any adjustments I should make?

    Reply

      • Thank you for your quick reply. I made the cake (with the smaller boxed mix) for a monthly dinner group with friends, and it was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it and declared it better than pumpkin pie – it is! I will be making it again soon for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for this wonderful, easy-to-make recipe!

  23. Thanks for sharing, this looks amazing! I am born and raised in STL, and love that we have our own foods here. I was wondering if you bake them in the two round pans, is it still for the 40-50 minutes? Thanks.

    Reply

  24. Hi! Just wanted to clarify something..your ingredient list says canned pumpkin but your photo shows a pic of pumpkin pie mix filling (lots more sugar and added spices I think?). Would love to make this asap but wanted to clarify first so I don’t mess it up! Thanks!!!

    Reply

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