Lemon Gooey Butter Cake (Printer-friendly)

A luscious, tangy dessert featuring soft buttery base and creamy lemony topping with irresistible gooey texture.

# What You'll Need:

→ Base

01 - 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
02 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 1 large egg

→ Gooey Lemon Layer

04 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 3½ cups powdered sugar
07 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.
02 - Combine cake mix, melted butter, and egg in a mixing bowl. Mix until soft dough forms.
03 - Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan to form base layer.
04 - Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Mix in powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until fluffy and smooth.
05 - Pour lemon mixture over base and spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes until edges are set and center is slightly jiggly.
06 - Let cake cool completely before cutting into squares. Dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The texture is absolutely impossible to describe adequately but imagine if lemon bars and a birthday cake had a delicious love child
  • It comes together faster than you can preheat the oven and uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry
  • That slightly jiggly center creates this gooey, custardy contrast against the buttery base that keeps everyone coming back for seconds
02 -
  • Overbaking is the death of the gooey texture so check at 35 minutes even if it looks underdone
  • This cake must cool completely before cutting or you will end up with a delicious mess instead of pretty squares
  • The jiggly center is not underbaked, it is the signature texture that makes this cake so incredible
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend together more smoothly and create that silky texture we are after
  • A glass baking pan lets you see if the bottom layer is baked through without disturbing the top

Go Back