St. Louis bakers invented gooey butter cake in the 1930s from a flour-to-butter measuring mistake nobody bothered to fix.
Cookies n’ Cream Gooey Butter Cake
Indulge your sweet tooth with this mouthwatering Cookies n’ Cream Gooey Butter Cake, where every bite is a heavenly blend of rich cream cheese and crushed Oreo cookies. With its irresistibly gooey texture and a sprinkle of chocolatey goodness, this cake is a dream come true for anyone who can’t resist the classic cookie flavor. Get ready to savor a slice of pure bliss that will have Oreo fans coming back for more!
Prep
15
min
Cook
45
min
Serves
8
people
Level
beginner
The Story
Gooey butter cake is pure St. Louis, Missouri, invented by a Depression-era baker's measuring mistake in the 1930s, but this version hijacks America's own Oreo—born in 1912 Manhattan—to create a dessert mashup so shamelessly Midwestern it should come with a trucker hat and a conspiracy theory about Hostess.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans' Garden District, bakers swap plain chocolate cake mix for a praline-spiked version and crush the chocolate sandwich cookies into the cream cheese layer itself, giving the whole gooey butter cake a boozy, pecan-crunchy Louisiana backbone.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- ½ c butter, melted (114 g)
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (227 g)
- 4 eggs (divided), room temperature
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (15.25 oz)
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- 1 ½ 1 3/4 - powdered sugar + extra for dusting (300 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (5 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
616
Protein
8g
Carbs
78g
Fat
32g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9x13 baking dish.
- 2
Make cake layer: combine cake mix, 2 eggs, ½ c butter. Spread along bottom of baking pan in an even layer.
- 3
Top cake batter with chocolate sandwich cookies, as many as possible.
- 4
Make cream cheese layer: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Gently spread mixture to cover cookies.
- 5
Bake cake in preheated oven, baking time will vary depending on the baking dish used. If a springform pan is used, bake for 40 – 50 minutes. If a 9x13 is used bake 20 – 25 minutes.
- 6
Allow cake to cool out of the oven and then dust top of cake with powdered sugar. Cake will set more as it cools, enjoy warm.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Ensure both cream cheese and eggs are exactly room temperature (68-72°F) before mixing the topping layer, as cold cream cheese won't fully emulsify with eggs and will create a grainy texture with visible lumps that won't smooth over the cookies.ingredient68-72°F
- ✓Spread the initial cake batter to only ¼-inch thickness and press it firmly into corners, because the gooey butter cake relies on a thin, even base layer that won't puff up during baking and create gaps between the cake and cream cheese filling.technique¼-inch thickness
- ✓For a springform pan, insert a toothpick at the 40-minute mark—if it meets slight resistance but cream cheese layer jiggles slightly (about ½-inch wobble in center), stop baking; carryover heat will set it to perfect gooey consistency as it cools, preventing overcooked edges.timing40 minutes, ½-inch center wobble
- ✓Mix the cream cheese layer on low speed for maximum 90 seconds total, because overmixing incorporates excess air (creating 15-20% more volume) that causes the topping to puff and crack during baking rather than settle into a dense, fudgy layer.technique90 seconds, low speed
- ✓Cool the cake for at least 2 hours at room temperature before chilling, as this allows residual heat to gently set the cream cheese layer without thermal shock; chilling too quickly will make the center rubbery instead of maintaining its signature gooey texture.timing2 hours room temperature minimum
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
45
min
Serves
8
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
St. Louis bakers invented gooey butter cake in the 1930s from a flour-to-butter measuring mistake nobody bothered to fix.
Cookies n’ Cream Gooey Butter Cake
Indulge your sweet tooth with this mouthwatering Cookies n’ Cream Gooey Butter Cake, where every bite is a heavenly blend of rich cream cheese and crushed Oreo cookies. With its irresistibly gooey texture and a sprinkle of chocolatey goodness, this cake is a dream come true for anyone who can’t resist the classic cookie flavor. Get ready to savor a slice of pure bliss that will have Oreo fans coming back for more!
The Story
Gooey butter cake is pure St. Louis, Missouri, invented by a Depression-era baker's measuring mistake in the 1930s, but this version hijacks America's own Oreo—born in 1912 Manhattan—to create a dessert mashup so shamelessly Midwestern it should come with a trucker hat and a conspiracy theory about Hostess.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans' Garden District, bakers swap plain chocolate cake mix for a praline-spiked version and crush the chocolate sandwich cookies into the cream cheese layer itself, giving the whole gooey butter cake a boozy, pecan-crunchy Louisiana backbone.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- ½ c butter, melted (114 g)
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (227 g)
- 4 eggs (divided), room temperature
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (15.25 oz)
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- 1 ½ 1 3/4 - powdered sugar + extra for dusting (300 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (5 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
616
Protein
8g
Carbs
78g
Fat
32g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9x13 baking dish.
- 2
Make cake layer: combine cake mix, 2 eggs, ½ c butter. Spread along bottom of baking pan in an even layer.
- 3
Top cake batter with chocolate sandwich cookies, as many as possible.
- 4
Make cream cheese layer: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Gently spread mixture to cover cookies.
- 5
Bake cake in preheated oven, baking time will vary depending on the baking dish used. If a springform pan is used, bake for 40 – 50 minutes. If a 9x13 is used bake 20 – 25 minutes.
- 6
Allow cake to cool out of the oven and then dust top of cake with powdered sugar. Cake will set more as it cools, enjoy warm.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Ensure both cream cheese and eggs are exactly room temperature (68-72°F) before mixing the topping layer, as cold cream cheese won't fully emulsify with eggs and will create a grainy texture with visible lumps that won't smooth over the cookies.ingredient68-72°F
- ✓Spread the initial cake batter to only ¼-inch thickness and press it firmly into corners, because the gooey butter cake relies on a thin, even base layer that won't puff up during baking and create gaps between the cake and cream cheese filling.technique¼-inch thickness
- ✓For a springform pan, insert a toothpick at the 40-minute mark—if it meets slight resistance but cream cheese layer jiggles slightly (about ½-inch wobble in center), stop baking; carryover heat will set it to perfect gooey consistency as it cools, preventing overcooked edges.timing40 minutes, ½-inch center wobble
- ✓Mix the cream cheese layer on low speed for maximum 90 seconds total, because overmixing incorporates excess air (creating 15-20% more volume) that causes the topping to puff and crack during baking rather than settle into a dense, fudgy layer.technique90 seconds, low speed
- ✓Cool the cake for at least 2 hours at room temperature before chilling, as this allows residual heat to gently set the cream cheese layer without thermal shock; chilling too quickly will make the center rubbery instead of maintaining its signature gooey texture.timing2 hours room temperature minimum