Gooey Butter Cake

For years, I've been watching Paula Deen make her gooey butter cake on her cooking shows and hearing about how it's one of her biggest hits at her restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.  I've also seen variations of this recipe on the internet, and recently saw a healthier version made on Bobby Deen's new cooking show.  Her son Bobby has started his own cooking show where he takes his mom's recipes and makes them healthier.

Originally, I was all set to make Bobby Deen's version of this cake, gooey with less butter cake.  Then I read some of the reviews for the cake and it just didn't stand up to the reviews for his mom's cake.  I am a big believer in eating what tastes good, but in moderation.  With that in mind, I stuck with his mom's recipe. 

Gooey Butter Cake



Cake batter mixture

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar (2 cups)



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, egg, and melted butter with a hand mixer.  Spread the mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan and pat it down.

In another large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until it is smooth.  Then add in the two eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.  Beat all ingredients together with a hand mixer until well blended.  Next, add in the powdered sugar and mix well.  I added in the powdered sugar slowly to make sure it got incorporated well.



Gooey butter cake being put into the oven

Pour mixture over cake batter in pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Ovens may very.  It should still be a little gooey in the center when it is done.  You don't want to overcook it, or it will no longer be a gooey butter cake...you'll just have a butter cake.  I baked mine for about 45 minutes and I think it came out great.  It's just a little gooey in the center and the edges are a nice brown color.  When you look at the finished product in the pan before you cut into it, it kind of looks like corn bread.



Slice of gooey butter cake

This is a great cake and it's easy to make.  This is definitely a cake to eat in moderation, so I only gave my daughter a little bit after dinner.  I plan to make this cake again, but I think I will try one of the other variations of it...such as the double chocolate gooey butter cake, the gooey toffee butter cake, or the gooey pumpkin butter cake.  All of them sound yummy. 

And for those of you who want to cut the calories and fat, remember Bobby Deen does have a lighter version of this cake that may be worth a try.  Just saying...