Name: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Ingredients: 15.25 oz yellow cake mix; 1 large egg; 8 Tablespoons butter (melted); 8 oz cream cheese (softened); 15 oz pumpkin puree; 3 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 8 Tablespoons butter (melted); 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Homemade pumpkin gooey butter cake is an easy and delicious fall dessert. Fluffy pumpkin is layered over a thick cake (made from a boxed mix). Top with whip cream to serve!

pumpkin gooey butter cake on plate topped with whipped cream

Nestled in my grandma’s recipe box was a fall dessert from Paula Deen that I just had to make. My gooey butter cake recipe I made years ago is made even better with the addition of pumpkin. Top that with the fact that it’s easy to makes since you use a box mix – and you have one of my favorite pumpkin desserts.

Table of Contents

What You Need

To make this recipe, you’ll need basic baking ingredients – and butter. Two sticks of butter to be exact. You don’t get to be called a butter cake without the butter.

yellow cake mix
cream cheese
pumpkin puree
powdered sugar

The original recipe called for an 18.25 oz cake mix. However, all I could find in my store was the 15 oz. It turned out fine!

recipe card to make pumpkin gooey butter cake

What is Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake?

Easier to make than pumpkin pie (much fewer steps) it has the same great creamy pumpkin flavor over a thick and dense cake layer. Only three ingredients (cake mix, butter, and egg) combine to create a thick crust. The filling is made with a puree of pumpkin combined with cream cheese and eggs and then seasoned with cinnamon, vanilla, and of course – butter. The consistency of the top layer is made thick with the addition of powdered sugar.

How To Make

This recipe could not be easier to pull together. All the ingredients can be mixed in a single bowl in two big steps and then placed in a greased 13×9 pan to bake.

Cake

Using an electric mixer, beat together the cake mix, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Press and pat the cake batter mixture into a greased 13×9 baking dish using a spatula.

Filling

Beat the softened cream cheese and pumpkin puree using an electric mixer until it’s silky smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and melted butter and beat them together at medium speed. Gently mix in the powdered sugar and cinnamon until all is well incorporated. Pour and spread the pumpkin mixture over the base cake layer.

Bake

Bake in a preheated 350˚ F oven for 40-50 minutes. The center will be slightly giggly when when finished baking.

Storing Leftovers & Serving

Once the cake has fully cooled, store it in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap. It will store for 3-5 days. Top with whipped cream to serve.

slice of pumpkin gooey butter cake on plate with whipped cream

Key Tips to Make Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Sift the powdered sugar: If you don’t want lumps of powdered sugar in the final recipe, then you’ll need to sift the powdered sugar before adding it. I made this mistake when making it and while the recipe turned out fine, it would have looked creamier if I had sifted.

Soften the cream cheese completely. To avoid little bits of cream cheese in your final product, you’ll want to make sure your cream cheese is completely softened before mixing it with the pumpkin puree. Little bits of cream cheese won’t alter the taste, but it will make it look less creamy.

Dust with powdered sugar. If you do find that you have little bits of cream cheese or powdered sugar in your final product. Never fear! Just dust the top with powdered sugar once the cake is cool and all will be well.

Spices. You can add an additional 1 teaspoon of nutmeg to this recipe. You can also replace the cinnamon and nutmeg with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice if you prefer.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake