Home » Recipes » Desserts » Cakes

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

Using simple ingredients makes a super easy and irresistible Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake!

This double chocolate cake starts with melted butter stirred into a box mix of cake and is topped with a layer of chocolate and cream cheese.

Piece of Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake with two layers from a box of cake mix and a chocolate cream cheese layer on a white plate

This post is sponsored by Robert Rothschild Farms but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Rich flavors define this simple chocolate butter cake with an amazing ooey gooey cheesecake-like layer in a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Our Gooey Butter Cake has been an extremely popular dessert on Pinterest, so we knew we had to create a chocolate version!

Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake starts with a package of cake mix and takes very little effort to make! Melted butter stirs into a box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix along with an egg to create the base layer.

Save this Recipe
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Enter your email and I’ll send this recipe right to your inbox! Plus, I’ll send you new recipes every week!

Cream cheese, an egg, almond extract, confectioners sugar, cocoa powder and more butter make the super rich top layer.

This easy brownie-like cake with a chewy texture tastes amazing on its own, but we love to take it up several notches by adding some Robert Rothschild Farms Raspberry Almond Drizzle, whipped cream and fresh raspberries! The raspberry flavors and drizzle really highlight all that the cake has to offer and makes an upscale dessert!

Sweet Fruit Topping for the Cake

Since we’ve been eating at home a LOT more we need more recipes like this that are restaurant quality and make mealtime feel special.

This Raspberry Drizzle can be added to so many basic recipes like our Cheesecake Cookie Bars, Basic Homemade Brownies, Marble Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars or Mini Cheesecakes to make them AMAZING!

Raspberry Almond Drizzle would be the ULTIMATE topping to add to your own Mini Cheesecake Dessert Bar!

Spoon full of Raspberry almond drizzle over chocolate gooey butter plate next to jar & fresh raspberries

We have also tried the Smores Dip with graham crackers and can’t wait to try it and the Raspberry Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.

Our family loves grilling and looking for ways to make burgers more exciting. We’ve added a dip to Burgers and made Loaded Taco Burgers, but neither of those compares the Robert Rothschild Farm Hot Bacon Chutney spread on the lid of a toasted bun and perfectly placed on a cheeseburger!

How to Customize a Gooey Butter Cake:

  • We love the richness that a box of Devil’s Food Cake mix provides, but you can easily use German chocolate cake mix or any box of chocolate cake mix for a more mellow chocolate flavor that would perfectly complement a rich sauce like Robert Rothschild Farm’s Raspberry Almond Drizzle!
  • Could add pecans, walnuts or sliced almond to the filling or sprinkle over the top before baking,
  • Mini chocolate chips or chopped up mini peanut butter cups could be stirred into the cream cheese filling instead of cocoa
  • Melted peanut butter chips drizzled over the top is another variation we look forward to trying
  • Pure vanilla extract could be substituted for the almond extract to pair with a drizzle of caramel sauce over each piece
Jar of Robert Rothschild Raspberry Almond Drizzle next to Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

How to Make Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake

  1. Using an electric mixer, mix chocolate cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg that has been lightly beaten
  2. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan
  3. In the same mixing bowl beat cream cheese
  4. Add egg and almond extract and mix well, then add cocoa
  5. Finally, stir in 1 pound or 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
  6. Pour over crust and bake for 35 minutes at 350ºF until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out almost clean
Moist chocolate gooey butter cake in a 9x13 inch pan

Tips for Making Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

  • Use melted butter to maximize the ooey gooey crust
  • Begin with softened cream cheese and beat the cream cheese before mixing in other ingredients to make a smooth cheesecake layer
  • This cake will continue baking for a few minutes after being taken out of the oven, so be careful not to overbake it!
  • Use a toothpick to test the cake, at the 35 minute mark my toothpick is mostly clean and that’s when I take the cake out and let it sit on top of the oven for about 20 minutes
  • Tastes AMAZING served with Robert Rothschild Raspberry Almond Drizzle
Easy Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Other Easy & Delicious Desserts Our Family Enjoys:

Printable Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake Recipe

Piece of Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake with two layers from a box of cake mix and a chocolate cream cheese layer

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

Servings 20 pieces
Author: Jennifer
This double chocolate cake starts with melted butter stirred into a box mix of cake and is topped with a chocolate and cream cheese layer. Using simple ingredients makes a super easy and irresistible Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake!
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake Layer

  • 1 box Devil's food cake mix
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1 egg beaten

Filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake Layer

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Mix together cake mix, melted butter and 1 beaten egg. Press evenly into bottom of baking pan.

Filling

  • Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in almond extract and cocoa.
  • Stir in powdered sugar and pour over crust. Bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

Notes

  • Use melted butter to maximize the ooey gooey crust
  • Begin with softened cream cheese and beat the cream cheese before mixing in other ingredients to make a smooth cheesecake layer
  • This cake will continue baking for a few minutes after being taken out of the oven, so be careful not to overbake it!
  • Use a toothpick to test the cake, at the 35 minute mark my toothpick is mostly clean and that’s when I take the cake out and let it sit on top of the oven for about 20 minutes
  • Tastes AMAZING served with Robert Rothschild Raspberry Almond Drizzle

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 330IUCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @PlowingThroughLife or tag #PlowingThroughLife!

13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My chocoholic husband LOVED these! I loved how easy they are to make.

  2. Ava Simmons says:

    5 stars
    Make this cake! It will become a family favorite and you will get lots of compliments. have some vanilla ice cream on hand. Above 5 stars!

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      So glad to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing your positive experience!

    2. Do you have to refrigerated this cake after baking?
      Thks

      Pls reply to my email
      sadielapr@gmail.com

    3. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      Hey there! If it lasts longer than a couple hours we do store this cake in the refrigerator 🙂

  3. Susan Erwin says:

    Can Neufchatel cheese be substuted for the cream cheese?

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      According to Google Neufchatel cheese and cream cheese can be used interchangeably, but please not that I have not tested this, so I’m not sure. Please let me know how it works out if you give it a try!

  4. Can you use vanilla extract instead of the almond extract?

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      Hey There! I haven’t tested it, but I imagine that would taste great too! Please let me know if you give it a try 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

  5. 5 stars
    Easy to make and even easier to disappear! DELICIOUS!

  6. 5 stars
    Soooo good! I combined the two recipes. I used the base from the chocolate version and the top of the original version and it was a huge hit!

  7. I’m looking at this recipe and wondering if 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar is too much? Can I use less?

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      Hey There! This is the recipe my family uses, but feel free to make any adjustments that you’d like. Let me know how they turn out! Hope you enjoy 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating