Almond Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Almond Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is love at first bite! Also known as chess cake, chess pie, or chess squares, this simple dessert recipe is a classic Southern food everyone who tries it loves. When it comes to easy dessert recipes with few ingredients, rich and decadent gooey butter cake really “takes the cake”!

Serve a platter of chess squares for dessert at your next family get-together or party, or as a special treat after Sunday dinner, and it is guaranteed to be the star of the meal. This butter cake recipe is unlike any other: melt-in-your-mouth rich, with a soft but flaky pie crust.

What is ooey gooey butter cake?

Gooey butter cake is a decadent, rich, and simple cake recipe, and is originally a St. Louis dessert. Usually cut into bars like a brownie or blondie, this type of butter cake is a flat, thick cake, made with yellow cake flour and plenty of butter, in addition to its cream cheese top layer.

Serve this butter cake recipe as a sweet after-dinner treat or alongside a cup of coffee (it’s the perfect moist coffee cake recipe!). You will be so glad to give it a try—and your family will thank you, too!

Gooey Butter Cake Ingredients

The ingredients you need for this gooey butter cake recipe are incredibly simple. It’s a classic gooey butter cake with a flaky, buttery cake mix crust and ooey, gooey cream cheese filling. To make these ooey gooey butter cake bars, you will need:

For the bottom layer:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (18 1/4 oz. box)
• 2 sticks butter, melted and divided (16 Tbsp.)
• 1 egg

For the top layer:

• 1 package cream cheese, softened (8 oz.)
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 box powdered sugar (16 oz. box)

What makes this chess cake recipe so special is the almond extract. A traditional butter cake recipe uses vanilla extract, but we find the nutty, cherry-like sweetness of almond extract kicks this butter cake up a notch in deliciousness!

Of course, if you do not have any almond extract, vanilla extract is a classic for butter cake recipes and an acceptable substitute. But, if you have almond extract on hand to try, we highly recommend it!

How to Make Butter Cake

Making these chess squares is so easy! You will need an electric mixer (just a handheld mixer is fine), a mixing bowl, and a large rectangular baking dish. We recommend portioning out your butter cake recipe ingredients before you start mixing.

Butter Cake Bottom Layer

1. Add 1 box yellow cake mix, 2 sticks of melted butter, and 1 egg to a large bowl. Mix well until a batter forms.
2. Coat the inside of your baking dish with cooking spray and spread the batter mixture evenly along the bottom. You want it to lay mostly flat and touch the edges of the dish.

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Butter Cake Top Layer

1. Add cream cheese to a large bowl. Mix until fluffy, then add two eggs, melted butter, and almond extract. Mix well until liquefied.
2. Add confectioners sugar to the bowl and mix until fully combined. Spread this mixture evenly over the top of the batter in the baking dish.

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Baking the Butter Cake

1. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be golden brown in color when it is ready.
2. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve, sprinkle with additional confectioners sugar, and enjoy!

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What to Serve with Gooey Butter Cake

Ooey Gooey Cake is one of the easiest dessert recipes you can make, and is the perfect fit for just about any occasion. Serve butter cake bars as a weeknight treat or after a hearty Sunday dinner recipe like Instant Pot Pot Roast or Buttermilk Roast Chicken. We also recommend topping butter cake with fresh fruit or berries and serving it as a deliciously moist coffee cake alongside a cup of coffee.

Like our Key Lime Pie Squares or Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits, gooey butter cake is perfect after a dinner of BBQ recipes. It makes the best picnic food, too, and any kid would be happy to enjoy one of these bars as a back to school treat.

This is the best cake recipe and it’s super easy to make. Really, this easy dessert recipe is a treat after a quiet at-home dinner or for a celebration of any kind. Why not try it after your favorite holiday dinner recipes?

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Did you enjoy this butter cake recipe? Let us know your thoughts with a comment and a rating! We love to hear from you.

Adapted from Paula Deen’s Original Gooey Butter Cake.