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Lemon gooey butter cake brings bright lemony flavor to the classic St. Louis dessert! This easy recipe starts with a lemon cake mix and adds plenty of lemon zest and juice for an easy and delicious dessert that tastes like a cross between cake and lemon bars.
I love when I make a recipe that combines all of my favorite things. With this lemon gooey butter cake recipe, I get the best cross between lemon bars, cheesecake, and a doctored cake mix recipe.
This recipe only requires about 15 minutes of prep time. After baking for 40 minutes, let it cool before digging in. You’ll have a dessert that was easy to make but your friends and family will ask for again and again.
What is lemon gooey butter cake?
The classic gooey butter cake was made famous in St. Louis, although you can often find it throughout the Midwest.
The original is made by layering a thick yellow cake batter with a cream cheese topping. As the cake bakes, it forms a dense crust on the bottom with an ooey gooey cream cheese layer. The top of the cake gets nice and crackly and the whole thing gets finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
I’ve made some variations on this before, including my cranberry gooey butter bars and pumpkin gooey butter cake. But since it’s summer, it was time for a lemony version!
This lemon gooey butter cake recipe uses a lemon cake mix and adds plenty of lemon juice and zest to the mix. The added lemon flavor makes this dessert feel like a cross between lemon bars and lemon cake. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve it with a dollop of whipped cream for a delicious, easy lemon dessert!
Jamie’s testing notes and tips
- Start with a good cake mix. For some of my doctored cake mix recipes, the brand of cake mix you use doesn’t matter that much. But I tested this recipe with a few different brands of lemon cake mix, and Duncan Hines stood out as my favorite for flavor and texture.
- I like to use salted butter in the cake base. Gooey butter cake is generally very sweet, so using salted butter helps balance this a bit. If you don’t have salted butter, add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the cake base.
- The cake base is very thick, so you might need to press it into the pan with your hands. Use wet hands for this to prevent the batter from sticking.
- Don’t over bake. Bake the cake until the top is golden and starting to get crackly, but the “gooey” portions will still be a bit jiggly. This is want you want for a cake that is moist and not dry.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing. Trust me, I know it’s hard to wait! But the cake needs to cool for that perfect gooey texture. Otherwise, it’ll just be a mess when you go to serve it.
Ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Lemon cake mix: Make sure you use a 15.25-ounce cake mix. Some brands make smaller mixes, but this recipe is developed for the 15.25-ounce mixes.
- Melted butter: As I mentioned above, salted is preferred to help balance the sweetness of the cake.
- Large eggs: You’ll divide these between the cake base and the cream cheese topping.
- Large lemons: Again, you will divide these between the cake and the topping. The average lemon will give you about 1 tablespoon of zest and about 3 tablespoons of juice, so keep that in mind if you only have small lemons on hand. Make sure to use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla bean paste will also work.
- Cream cheese: Softened to room temperature. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, I have some tips on how to soften cream cheese quickly.
- Powdered sugar: Because powdered sugar compacts easily, I recommend using the same fluff, scoop, and sweep measuring method that we use when measuring flour. If you’re out of powdered sugar, learn how to make powdered sugar using granulated sugar and cornstarch.
Lemon Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix
- ½ cup salted butter melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs divided use
- 2 fresh lemons divided use
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract divided use
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cake mix, butter, 2 eggs, the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well-combined. Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan; it will be thick.1 (15.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix, ½ cup salted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 fresh lemons, 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Beat cream cheese, remaining 2 eggs, zest and juice of remaining lemon and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.2 large eggs, 1 fresh lemons, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Slowly beat in powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated. Pour this directly over the cake batter.3 cups powdered sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.
- If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Ingredients
- I prefer to use the Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix in this recipe.
- The average lemon will give you around 1 tablespoon of zest and about 3 tablespoons of juice, so you will need about 2 tablespoons total of zest and about 6 tablespoons total of lemon juice.
Storage
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If freezing, wrap slices in plastic wrap before placing in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Storage
Store leftovers in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze this lemon gooey butter cake, I recommend wrapping individual slices with plastic wrap, then placing them in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let the slices thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours before enjoying.
FAQs
Yes! Orange would have almost a creamsicle vibe, while key limes would be fun for a more tropical feel. You’ll need about 2 tablespoons of citrus zest (divided use) and about 6 tablespoons of juice (divided use). If you want to go the key lime route, you could use regular lime zest and bottled key lime juice—I like the Nellie and Joe’s brand.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing the topping. It can also help to bring your eggs to room temperature as well, although making sure the cream cheese is well softened is the most important thing.
