Apple Butter Gooey Butter Cake
When you’re looking for an easy make and take dessert for your next get together, look no further than this Apple Butter Gooey Butter Cake with a homemade yellow cake base and an apple butter cream cheese layer.
It seems as if lately my 8×8 square pan has been getting a work out in the kitchen, ranging from apple fritter cake to pumpkin spice poke cake to honey snack cake to pumpkin crumble bars.
What I love about baking in my square pan is you bake it then serve it straight from the pan.
If you’re traveling, you can literally make and take your cake to your destination, sometimes while it’s still cooling (depending on whether you need to frost it).
Some pans even come with lids, but if yours doesn’t (like mine), all you need is some foil or plastic wrap.
My latest adventure in square cake baking is this Apple Butter Gooey Butter Cake.
I was intrigued by the concept after seeing numerous versions floating around online -a layer of cake (in this case yellow butter cake) topped with a cream cheese layer and a slightly underbaked middle (hence gooey).
I know there are some purists out there who may argue this isn’t a true St. Louis gooey butter cake, but I’m going with the easy baker version.
Top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream for a dressed up dessert worthy enough for the holidays.
I kept seeing recipes for pumpkin gooey butter cake, so I thought I would give an apple butter version a try.
However, most of the recipes I saw used cake mix. Since I bake from scratch, I essentially made my own yellow cake mix then proceeded to make said cake for the base.
Why should store bought cake mixes have all the fun?
The gooey part of the name comes from the gooeyness between the cake and cream cheese layers, as if it’s slightly underbaked.
It’s more prominent if you serve the cake the same day you baked it while either still warm or at room temperature.
If you do refrigerate any leftovers, let the cake sit 15-30 minutes at room temperature before eating. It may not be as gooey at this point, but it’s still a worthy dessert.
For more apple butter recipes, check out my guide on what to do with apple butter.
Apple Butter Gooey Butter Cake
When you’re looking for an easy make and take dessert for your next get together, look no further than this Apple Butter Gooey Butter Cake with a homemade yellow cake base and an apple butter cream cheese layer.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Musselman's Apple Butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8x8 square pan.
- Make the cake layer: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk in the egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla until moistened.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan (mixture will be slightly sticky).
- Make the filling: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and apple butter until smooth.
- Beat in the egg then beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl then beat in the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Spread the filling over the cake layer then bake 45-50 minutes or until the center is set (do not overbake as the center should be slightly gooey). Cool completely before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon.
Notes
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, let cake sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving.
Source: Adapted from Food Network
More Apple Butter Recipes
Caramel Apple Butter Layer Cake
Apple Butter Crumb Cake
Apple Butter Baked Doughnut Holes
Apple Butter Cream Cheese Danishes
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There’s nothing I love more than a recipe that has “butter” in the title twice. AND cake. ;) Yum!
If a cake has the word butter in it twice, then it’s definitely worth making ;) Thanks!
Yum! This looks so good. Totally happening in the kitchen today since my grandparents are coming to visit and they love sweets.