Gooey Butter Cake Bars

March 21, 2021

Are you familiar with the gooey butter cake? Two layers of rich, decadent cake… the bottom, sweet and chewy and the top, creamy and gooey… sound familiar? If not, this is a dessert that you should definitely become familiar with. Yes, it is incredibly delicious (I only make it when I know I am taking it somewhere, because if a pan of this cake is left in my kitchen, my husband and I just congregate around it until it disappears), but it is also super easy to make. Growing up, my mom made this cake a lot using boxed yellow cake mix, but I started doing some research on a recipe for this fabulous cake from scratch. I found A Spicy Perspective’s recipe and thought it looked great. I am so glad that I followed this recipe. It turned out perfect!

Its like the perfect thing to bring to a get together. It is served at room temperature, so timing is not an issue. It is creamy and gooey enough that there is no need for additional ice cream or whipped cream to accompany it. It is rich enough that a regular 9″x13″ will feed a crowd and no special ingredients or equipment is required.

… and again, it is absolutely delicious.

Let’s get it started…

To begin, you will need 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of almond flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 5 large eggs, 8 ounces of cream cheese, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract, 4 cups of confectioners sugar and 12 tablespoons of butter (it is called a “butter cake” you know).

This cake is put into the baking dish in two separate layers. One of the best things about this cake is the difference between the layers. For the base layer, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of almond flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

Form a little well in the center of the bowl and add 12 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 large eggs. Be sure to let the melted butter cool down a bit before you add it to the dough, so it doesn’t start cooking the eggs.

Mix until a soft, crumbly dough forms (photo above). It should feel like soft cookie dough.

Gently press the dough into a parchment lined 9″x13″ deep baking dish. I highly recommend lining the dish by crossing sheets of parchment paper in a north to south and east to west pattern folding the excess over the sides of the dish. This excess will be used later to easily lift the cake out of the dish.

Use your fingers to evenly distribute the dough throughout the dish. Don’t press down to compact the dough, you just want it fairly evenly divided across the base of the dish.

Base layer done.

To make the top layer, add 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract into a large bowl. Be sure that your cream cheese is soft, so that it will blend smoothly with the other ingredients.

Using an electric hand mixer (or a stiff whisk and someone with a very strong arm), mix until smooth and creamy.

Add about 2 cups of the confectioners sugar, mix to combine and then add the remaining confectioners sugar and mix until everything is smooth and fully incorporated.

Now, pour the creamy batter over top of the base layer.

Bake on the center rack of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about an hour. This cake is finished when the edges are deep golden brown and the center is all puffed up. If the cake looks like it is getting too brown before it is finished baking, lightly drape a sheet of foil over the dish until it is finished baking.

Transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack to cool for at least an hour before serving. After an hour, your gooey butter cake will be ready to serve, but not easy to cut into pretty slices, so if you have some extra time, chill the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm it up a bit. This will make slicing it much easier.

When you are ready to slice, use the parchment paper to pick the entire cake up out of the dish and transfer it onto a cutting board. Slice it into small slices (trust me, this cake is rich!) and give it a light dusting with confectioners sugar (purely for looks).

That beautifully crunchy topping will shatter into a ton of pieces when you slices through it. I love the way it looks… and maybe a lot of that has to do with how fantastic I know it tastes, but it is a uniquely pretty dessert. The top is golden brown and crackly and the interior is gooey, soft and pale yellow. Just beautiful…

From a side view, you can see the layers. They definitely combine a bit during baking, but there are some definitely differences going on as you make your way through a slice. The very bottom is golden brown and just a bit caramelized. Above that is a dense, but moist yellow crumb cake and above that is a creamy, gooey custardy layer. The very top contains all those crackly, crunchy bits and everything comes together to create one truly delicious treat.

If you have never tried a gooey butter cake, you really should. You will not be disappointed. Promise.

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