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This pumpkin gooey butter cake has a buttery yellow cake crust topped with a rich, creamy pumpkin cream cheese filling that’s perfectly spiced and still a little gooey in the center. Made with a cake mix and simple pantry ingredients, it’s an easy Thanksgiving dessert that gives you all those pumpkin pie flavors without making a pie crust.
And after all these years, it is still one of the most requested pumpkin desserts at our Thanksgiving table.
Table of Contents
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake at a Glance
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- What Is Gooey Butter Cake?
- How Do You Know When Gooey Butter Cake Is Done?
- Tips for the Best Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Troubleshooting
- Can You Make Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Ahead of Time?
- How to Serve Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- More Pumpkin Recipes
- Watch This Video Tutorial
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake at a Glance
- Texture: Buttery, chewy cake crust + creamy, gooey pumpkin filling
- Flavor: Pumpkin, cream cheese, cinnamon and nutmeg
- Difficulty: Easy
- Pan: 9×13-inch
- Best for: Thanksgiving, fall parties and make-ahead holiday desserts
- Most Important Tip: Don’t overbake it! The center should still be slightly soft and gooey when it comes out of the oven.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- That gooey center: The pumpkin cream cheese layer stays soft, rich and creamy and gooey while the edges set.
- Easy cake mix crust: A yellow cake mix makes the buttery crust ridiculously simple—no pie crust rolling or chilling!
- Perfect for Thanksgiving: Pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg give you all the flavors you want on a Thanksgiving dessert table.
- Make it ahead: This cake needs time to cool anyway, so it’s a great dessert to make before the holiday craziness begins.
- A longtime family favorite: I first made Paula Deen’s pumpkin gooey butter cake for our family as a newlywed, and we’ve been making it for Thanksgiving ever since.
Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake was one of the very first Food Network recipes I ever made. Cade and I were super poor newlyweds, cable was included with our apartment, and watching Food Network became our free entertainment.
Cade is from the South, so I started surprising him with Southern classics like fried chicken, Southern macaroni and cheese, pecan pie and tomato basil pie. Honestly, those nights watching Paula cook sparked something in both of us—and they’re part of the reason Oh Sweet Basil exists today.
Then came our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds. I made this pumpkin gooey butter cake instead of the usual pumpkin pie, brought it home to my family in Washington, and everyone was hooked. We’ve been making it for Thanksgiving ever since.
Ingredients You’ll Need
There are two simple layers in this pumpkin gooey butter cake: a buttery cake mix crust and creamy pumpkin filling.
For the Cake Mix Crust
- Yellow cake mix: The shortcut to that sweet, buttery crust. Don’t prepare the cake according to the box directions.
- Egg: Binds the cake mix into a thick dough rather than cake batter.
- Butter: Melted butter gives the crust its rich flavor and dense, chewy texture.
For the Pumpkin Filling
- Cream cheese: Use softened, full-fat block cream cheese for the smoothest, creamiest filling.
- Pumpkin puree: Be sure you’re using 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Eggs: Give the pumpkin layer structure while keeping it soft and custardy.
- Vanilla: Adds warmth and rounds out the pumpkin and cream cheese flavors.
- Butter: Yes, there’s more butter! It makes the filling extra rich and is essential to gooey butter cake.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the pumpkin cream cheese filling and keeps the texture smooth.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: The simple combination that gives the pumpkin layer its warm fall flavor.
How to Make Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
This cake looks impressive, but you’re really just making two easy layers.
- Make the crust. Combine the yellow cake mix, egg and melted butter until a thick dough forms. Press it evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the softened cream cheese by itself first until completely smooth. This is the secret to avoiding little lumps of cream cheese in the pumpkin filling.
- Make the pumpkin filling. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth, then add the eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Mix in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add the pumpkin layer. Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly over the cake mix crust.
- Bake—but don’t overbake! Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the center is still slightly soft. This cake is supposed to be gooey, so don’t wait for the center to look completely firm.
- Cool completely. Let the cake cool before slicing so the pumpkin layer has time to finish setting.
- Serve. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.
What Is Gooey Butter Cake?
Gooey butter cake is a rich dessert with a dense, buttery cake layer and a soft, gooey filling. This pumpkin version takes that same idea and adds pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg to the cream cheese layer, giving it almost a pumpkin pie-meets-cheesecake texture over that buttery cake mix crust.
And yes, the middle really is supposed to stay gooey—that’s the whole point!
How Do You Know When Gooey Butter Cake Is Done?
This is the most important part of the entire recipe: don’t wait for the center to look like a fully baked cake.
Your pumpkin gooey butter cake is ready when:
- The edges look set and lightly golden.
- The pumpkin filling is set around the outside.
- The center is still slightly soft.
- The middle may have a little movement when you gently jiggle the pan, but it shouldn’t look liquid.
And don’t use the clean toothpick test! This isn’t a regular cake. The filling is supposed to stay creamy and gooey in the center and will continue to set as the cake cools.
If you’re debating whether it needs “just another 10 minutes,” it probably doesn’t. Overbaking is the enemy of gooey butter cake.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Soften the cream cheese completely. Cold cream cheese is the #1 reason you’ll end up with little white lumps in the filling.
Beat the cream cheese first. Get it completely smooth before adding the pumpkin and remaining ingredients.
Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will change the recipe.
Don’t follow the cake mix directions. You’re using the dry cake mix with butter and egg to create a thick crust.
Press the crust evenly. An uneven crust can leave you with thick, doughy spots and thin, overbaked ones.
Cool before slicing. Straight from the oven, the pumpkin layer will be too soft for clean squares.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Troubleshooting
Your cream cheese was probably too cold or wasn’t beaten smooth before the pumpkin was added. Let the cream cheese come completely to room temperature and beat it by itself first, scraping down the bowl as needed.
It was most likely overbaked. Gooey butter cake continues to set as it cools, so remove it from the oven while the center is still slightly soft.
If the center looks liquid rather than simply soft or slightly jiggly, it needs more time. Return it to the oven and check it again after a few minutes.
Make sure the cake mix, egg and melted butter are completely combined before pressing the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.
Let the cake cool completely before cutting it. For especially neat squares, chill the cake first and wipe the knife clean between cuts.
Can You Make Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Ahead of Time?
Yes! Pumpkin gooey butter cake is a great make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert because it needs to cool completely before you slice it anyway.
Make the cake from start to finish, let it cool completely and cover it tightly. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving. Wait to add powdered sugar or whipped cream until just before serving.
How to Store Leftovers
Cover leftover pumpkin gooey butter cake tightly and keep it refrigerated. We love it chilled, but you can also let individual pieces sit at room temperature briefly before serving if you prefer a softer texture. It will keep for up to 1 week.
How to Serve Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
This cake is plenty rich all on its own, but a dollop of homemade whipped cream is my favorite way to serve it. Add a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg over the top and you’re done.
You can serve pumpkin gooey butter cake chilled or closer to room temperature. Chilled pieces will be firmer and give you cleaner slices, while the filling becomes softer and gooier as it warms up.
All these years later, this pumpkin gooey butter cake is still one of the desserts my family looks for on the Thanksgiving table. That buttery cake mix crust, creamy pumpkin filling and big dollop of whipped cream just gets me every time. It’s ridiculously easy, feeds a crowd and can be made ahead—which is exactly the kind of Thanksgiving dessert I want when the oven and kitchen are already working overtime!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Crumb Muffins
- Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
Check out our entire Thanksgiving Recipes Section for more ideas.
Watch This Video Tutorial
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 Package Yellow Cake Mix, or spice
- 1 Large Eggs
- ½ Cup Butter, melted
Filling
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened, see note
- 1 Can Canned Pumpkin Puree, 15 ounces
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ Cup Butter, melted and cooled
- 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar, 16 ounces
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- In a bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with a handheld electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.1 Package Yellow Cake Mix, 1 Large Eggs, ½ Cup Butter
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.8 Ounces Cream Cheese
- Add the pumpkin and beat again until smooth.1 Can Canned Pumpkin Puree
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.3 Large Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, ½ Cup Butter, 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Make sure not to over-bake as the center should be a little gooey.
- Allow to cool for 1 hour.
- Serve with whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Hi June! This is a great make ahead dessert. Make the cake from start to finish and store it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving it. You can also freeze it. Let it come to room temperature before serving and add the whipped cream topping right before serving.
I used a butter pecan cakemix for the crust and it was delicious
Ooooooh yum! That sounds delicious!
Should be 1 stick butter and 1 egg in the crust. I found the original recipe after I made this sadly and the crust puffed up way too much and overtook the whole thing. The 3/4 cup butter is total amount for the recipe (1/2 in crust and 1/4 in filling)
Hi Chris! You are absolutely right! I don’t know how those measurements got changed. It should be 1 stick of butter and 1 egg in the crust and 1 stick of butter and 3 eggs in the pumpkin filling. I’m so sorry for the confusion!
Recipe is wrong. It says 3/4 cup of butter. That’s 1 1/4 sticks. It should only be 1 stick. My cake batter was not thick enough. Turned out ok but will make it the correct way next time.
Hi Rebecca! The 3/4 cup is the correct amount of butter. It is 1.5 sticks of melted butter for this recipe.
Love the idea of the recipe but there is way too much sugar in it. I put only 1 cup of sugar in the pumpkin filling instead of 3.5 and I still find it way too sweet, I imagine 3 cups would have been inedible.
It is a very sweet, rich dessert. I’m just doing what Paula tells me to in this recipe haha…we love it!