Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake
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Fudgy and decadent, this Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake is a rich and soft cake with a super gooey and soft center. This is a chocolatey version of my Gooey Butter Cake Bars and is made from simple, common ingredients for the perfect dessert great for parties, holidays, potlucks, or whenever a chocolate craving hits!
This chocolate version of the classic gooey butter cake has a chewy chocolate crust topped with a silky chocolate cream cheese layer that bakes into the perfect gooey center. It's incredibly easy to make with pantry staples and tastes even better the next day.
If you're a chocolate lover, don't miss my Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake for feeding a crowd or my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars when you're craving another ultra-moist chocolate dessert.
Quick Look: Chocolate Butter Cake
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 55 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 15
- 📊 Calories: ~200 kcal per serving
- 🥣 Ingredients: chocolate cake mix, butter, eggs, cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, great for even beginner bakers
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Super easy to make. A boxed cake mix keeps prep quick while delivering amazing results.
Rich and gooey. Every bite has a fudgy chocolate base with a creamy chocolate topping.
Perfect for any occasion. Great for holidays, bake sales, parties, or whenever a chocolate craving hits.
For even more decadent chocolate dessert options, try my Bailey's Chocolate Cake or this Chocolate Earthquake Cake!
Ingredients Needed
- Chocolate Cake Mix: Use your favorite brand and variety of chocolate cake mix to make this recipe your own!
- Cream Cheese: I like to use full-fat in this.
- Cocoa Powder: You can use regular or dark cocoa powder.
How to Make this Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake
- Step 1: In a large bowl, combine cake mix and softened butter.
- Step 2: Add the eggs and beat until combined. It's okay if the batter seems really thick.
- Step 3: Pour the batter into a parchment-lined baking pan. You may have to press it in almost like dough.
- Step 4: In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cream cheese.
- Step 5: Add remaining eggs, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
- Step 6: Pour the cream cheese mixture over the dough, then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool, then slice and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Keep in mind that the interior of this cake is meant to be gooey and look "unbaked." If you leave it in the oven too long, you'll end up overbaking it.
- Be sure to allow cold ingredients like the eggs, butter, and cream cheese to come up to room temperature to make them easier to mix.
- Switch things up by using different kinds of cake mix to create other flavors of gooey butter cake.
Recipe FAQ's
You'll want to look for a slightly flaky, crackly top, browned edges, and a slightly jiggly center. The middle layer will always look "unbaked," so don't worry if it seems underdone--that's the best part of this dessert!
The cocoa and cream cheese mixture creates a unique fudgy layer in your cake that won't set up or bake like traditional cake.
Yes, because the cake includes ingredients like eggs and cream cheese, it needs to be stored in the fridge. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container, it should last several days refrigerated.
Yes, this cake can be frozen for up to a couple of months. Allow it to fully thaw in the fridge before enjoying again--thaw overnight if you can!
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Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box chocolate cake mix
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 eggs
- 1 (8 ounce pkg) cream cheese
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the chocolate cake mix, butter and mix until the butter is incorporated.
- Add in 2 of the eggs and mix until combined.The batter will be thick.
- Press the dough into evenly into the bottom of parchment lined baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the softened cream cheese, 2 remaining eggs, cocoa powder and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Pour the cream cheese layer evenly over the dough.
- Bake for 40 minutes, remove from the oven allow to cool before cutting.
