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Gooey Butter Cake in a Bag

Posted on June 17, 2018August 15, 2022
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Gooey Butter Cake In A Bag is a fun way to prepare a delicious dessert that has a cookie-like yellow cake crust with a lemony cream cheese filling.ย  The caramelized top makes a nice presentation and tastes great.

Although the crust’s ingredients are combined in a zippered plastic bag, an electric mixer is required for the filling.ย  This is a fun baking project for adults and children.

If desired, use a bowl to combine ingredients for the crust.

EDITOR’S NOTE (June 15, 2020):ย  Added one new photo.ย  Updated text for clarity.

DISCLAIMER:ย  This dessert is not sponsored.ย ย  I purchased pictured products and enjoyed using them.

Ingredients are easy to combine in a large zippered bag (gallon size).

The mixture forms into a very smooth texture that’s easy to press into the prepared baking dish.

This “famous” dessert is also known as a Chess Cake that originated in St. Louis, Missouri during the 1930s.

According to wikipedia.org, The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission website has a recipe for the cake called, one of St. Louis’ popular, quirky foods.

The cake is dusted with confectioner’s sugar before being served at room temperature or warm.ย  I like it cold!

Almost all bakeries in the greater St. Louis area sell this cake.

Paula Deen’s version is called Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.

I discovered the original recipe on Allrecipes.ย  Called for FOUR cups of confectioner’s sugar.ย  That is a LOT of sugar. I was still curious about how it would taste.

I made it once.ย  Too sweet for me.ย 

The second time I baked this cake, I reduced sugar to 3 cups and added lemon juice.ย ย  Rather than sprinkle more confectioner’s sugar on top like most, I placed the baked dessert under the broiler to form a delicious caramelized crust.ย  Makes a lovely presentation and tastes much better (my opinion).

Desserts made with cream cheese should be refrigerated to maintain fresh flavor.

Enjoy this very rich dessert!

Print Recipe

Gooey Butter Cake in a Bag

Gooey Butter Cake in a Bag is a fun way to prepare a delicious dessert that has a cookie-like yellow cake crust with a lemony cream cheese filling.ย  Fun baking project for adults and children. Recipe and photography by Beverly Davis for CornbreadMillionaire.com.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Cake Crust

  • 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (not margarine), melted
  • 1 large (gallon) zippered bag Avoid sandwich bag. Too thin and too small.

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 1 package (8 ounces) full fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (not margarine), melted
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice I used 1 lemon.
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine cake mix, melted butter, and beaten egg in a large zippered freezer bag. A sandwich bag is too thin. Freezer bags are sturdy. Close bag completely. Massage bag until all ingredients form a smooth dough (10-15 minutes). If preferred, use a stand mixer. Or, combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
  • Remove cake batter from bag. It will be firm and easy to manage (texture reminds me of play dough). There may be a few dry crumbs. Simply press into batter until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, add softened cream cheese, melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Stir until filling is smooth.
  • Lightly butter a 9x5 baking dish or cake pan. Firmly press cake batter (texture similar to play dough) into bottom. Pour filling evenly over dough. Smooth with the back of a spoon.
  • Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Oven temperatures vary. Decrease to 325 degrees if baking too fast. Avoid over baking. Gooey center will jiggle when done.
  • Cake is done when a knife inserted in center comes out with a little filling on the blade and a clean tip. If dough is on the tip, return to oven. Check every 10 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out with a clean tip.
  • Place cake under broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown.
  • Cake will firm up and stop jiggling after cooling 15 minutes. Serve warm or hot.

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Welcome!

I’m Bev, self-taught recipe developer and content creator.ย  Welcome to my food and lifestyle blog featuring southern homestyle recipes and life behind the scenes.ย  Read more…ย 

 

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