(Editor’s Note: This recipe was originally featured on an episode of The Stir Podcast starring host Trish Muyco-Tobin and special guest co-host Debbie Baldwin. To view previous episodes of The Stir Podcast, click here.)
Our featured treat is Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, combining the season’s most popular flavor with a St. Louis original.
While there are many versions of the classic gooey butter cake out there, the basics are the same: yellow cake mix, butter and eggs for the “crust;” and cream cheese, sugar, eggs and more butter for the filling – hence, the “butter” in the name. To this, we add canned pumpkin puree and cinnamon to fancy it up for fall!
We tweaked our recipe from an old cookbook version and from some of the more popular recipes found online to adjust for sweetness (our version uses less sugar) and to enhance the true flavor of the pumpkin, instead of covering it up with the ubiquitous “pumpkin spice.”
Initially, our intent was purely personal: Debbie is not a fan of too-sweet desserts, and Trish avoids anything with nutmeg. But what our test kitchen came up with is a true winner, and just like that jack-o’-lantern on your front porch, you won’t be able to stop grinning after that first bite!
PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 egg
- 8 T (1 stick) butter, melted and allowed to cool for a few minutes
For the Filling
- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (check the label to make sure it’s 100% pumpkin)
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 T vanilla
- 8 T (1 stick butter), melted and allowed to cool for a few minutes
- 3 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for topping (optional)
- 1-1/4 t cinnamon*
*If you prefer a “pumpkin spice” flavor, use 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9×13 baking pan. (Or for less clean-up, line baking pan with parchment paper instead).
- Combine cake mix, egg and butter in a medium bowl; mix well.
- Pour batter into the pan; spread and pat down until the bottom of the pan is covered with the “crust.”
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and pumpkin puree thoroughly until smooth. Add eggs (one at a time), vanilla and butter; mix to combine. Beat in powdered sugar and cinnamon; mix well.
- Spread the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter, covering the crust completely.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. (Note: Start watching your cake at around 45 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake as you want the cake to be a bit gooey.)
- Cool slightly. Lightly top with powdered sugar, if desired.
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