If you love rich chocolate desserts, this Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is hard to beat. It starts with a simple chocolate cake-mix crust and is topped with a thick cream cheese and chocolate filling that stays wonderfully soft and gooey in the center.
This is one of those easy desserts that tastes much more complicated than it actually is. A little crunch from the chopped pecans balances all that fudgy chocolate goodness, and because it’s baked in a 9×13-inch pan, it’s perfect for holidays, potlucks, family gatherings, or anytime you need a dessert that can feed a crowd.
The most important thing? Don’t over bake it. That soft, slightly gooey center is exactly what makes this cake so good.
INGREDIENTS- 2 sticks butter, melted and divided, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 package chocolate cake mix
- 3 eggs, divided
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 (16-oz) box powdered sugar (3 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup nuts, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.
CHOCOLATE OOEY GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
Yield: 16 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 sticks butter, melted and divided, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 package chocolate cake mix
- 3 eggs, divided
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 (16-oz) box powdered sugar (3 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup nuts, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, checking it toward the lower end of the baking time. Do not over bake—the edges should be set, but the center should remain slightly soft and gooey. Let the cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.