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Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Pumpkin gooey butter cake with a buttery cake crust and an impossibly gooey pumpkin cream cheese center. Baked until the middle stays soft, then cooled and dusted very generously with powdered sugar.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cake crust
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 egg
gooey pumpkin filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 extra powdered sugar for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9x13 baking pan

Method
 

Prep and make the cake crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan.
  2. Combine the yellow cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg, then press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the greased pan.
Make the gooey pumpkin filling
  1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla and beat until combined.
  2. Beat in the melted butter, then gradually beat in the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until the filling looks thick and smooth.
Bake and finish
  1. Pour the gooey pumpkin filling over the crust.
  2. Bake for 40–45 minutes at 350°F, until the center should be gooey and you do not overbake.
  3. Cool completely, then dust the top very generously with powdered sugar before slicing into bars.

Notes

Pro tip: scrape the bowl and beat until the filling is smooth so the center sets into a soft, gooey layer instead of a grainy texture. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze bars (well wrapped) up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter swap, use low-fat cream cheese and reduce powdered sugar by 1/2 cup (texture may be slightly less gooey).