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Home ยป Recipe Type ยป Desserts ยป Cakes
4.7 from 50 reviews

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake

1 hour
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:11/3/20
Updated:6/13/23
Jump to Recipe

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake bars recipe that is so fudgy and tastes like both cake and brownies! Recipe is easy to make with a box of cake mix and 6 other ingredients.

slices of chocolate butter cake baked in 8x8 pan

Why I love these Chocolate Butter Cake Bars

I’m writing this post on Election Day so nerves are high in my home. I’m anxious. I’m nervous. I turn the TV on. I turn the TV off. I open the refrigerator 50 times. I hug my daughters 250 times. Ok, it’s that time. I need comfort food. Bring on these Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake bars!

Here’s a quick video I made to show you how simple it is to make. 

This Chocolate Butter Cake is so fudgy and moist. I mean really really really fudgy. They taste like half cake, half brownies, 100% delicious. When you eat the first one, you’ll feel the comfort. You’ll feel the hug that we all need right now. Chocolate Butter Cake bars, I love you.

slice of chocolate butter cake on spatula

Ingredients for Chocolate Butter Cake

There’s nothing fancy you need for this recipe. If you bake regularly you probably already have everything in your kitchen. The main ingredient is a box of devil’s food or chocolate cake mix, besides that you’ll need these 6 other ingredients:

  1. butter
  2. eggs
  3. cream cheese
  4. powdered sugar
  5. cocoa powder
  6. vanilla
powdered sugar, butter, cake mix, cream cheese and eggs on white table

How to Make

This recipe is made in a 13×9 baking dish, so prepare that by spraying with nonsick spray (bottom and sides) and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Add cake mix and butter (softened) together in a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer. This won’t be super creamy, but once you add in 2 eggs and continue mixing, it will start to look like a cake mix.

mixer beaters filled with chocolate on top of white bowl

Pour this cake mix mixture into the bottom of your baking pan.

pink spatula patting down chocolate cake

In the same bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, remaining 2 eggs and vanilla. Again, use the hand mixer. This recipe calls for 4 cups of powdered sugar which equals a 16 oz box.

powdered sugar and cream cheese in white bowl

Spread this mixture on top of the first mixture in the baking dish.

chocolate mix being poured into baking dish

Bake for 45 minutes. The cake will appear not cooked after 45 minutes in the middle, but this is what makes it so fudgy. Trust me on this one. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

baked chocolate butter cake with crispy cracking top

Cut into how many slices you want. We usually do 9-12, but you could even do 18 bars as these will fill you up pretty quickly.

9 slices of chocolate butter cake in glass 8x8 pan

Now that hug you need – eat your Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake slice and enjoy!

2 slices of cake missing from 8x8 pan

PS: Want to make the recipe but only have yellow cake mix? Make my Cake Mix Butter Cake!

PSS: Want to make this extra decadent? Add my Chocolate Frosting or Buttercream Icing on top! Woah!

Other Chocolate Recipes:

The Best Chocolate Milkshake
Fudge Chocolate Balls
Chocolate Chip Donuts
Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies Made With Bread Flour
Chocolate Kidney Bean Brownies 

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4.68 from 50 reviews

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake

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Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake bars recipe that is so fudgy and tastes like both cake and brownies! Recipe is easy to make with a box of cake mix and 6 other ingredients.
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour
serves 12

Ingredients

  • 1 15.25 ounce box of chocolate or devil's food cake mix
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 8 ounce cream cheese
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (equals 16 oz box)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Cream cake mix and butter together in a large bowl with electric hand mixer. Add 2 eggs and continue mixing. Pour mixture into the bottom of the dish.
  • In the same bowl mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, remaining 2 eggs and vanilla Spread this mixture on top of the first mixture.
  • Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serving into desired number of slices.

Video:

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Butter Cake
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

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4.68 from 50 votes (45 ratings without comment)

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  1. Suzanne Perkins says

    November 22, 2023 at 8:28 pm

    I love this recipe, but sometimes the bottom layer bubbles up through the top layer. How can I prevent this from happening please?

    Reply
  2. Jcary says

    June 12, 2023 at 3:10 pm

    Can you substitute chocolate chips for cocoa powder?

    Reply
  3. Lisa Mazur says

    February 23, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    Excellent dessert! My Chocolate lovers ate it all!

    Reply
  4. Buck's Doe says

    February 14, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    Lovely, standard boxed cake ‘butter cake.’ I have always cut the powdered sugar to 2 cups, still plenty sweet. Not sure why I haven’t used a chocolate mix before, duh!

    Reply
  5. baconish says

    August 11, 2022 at 11:27 pm

    I made this in past but I made a mistake and used brownie mix instead of cake mix. It was one of the best mistakes! Do everything same except switch to box brownie mix for the cake mxix

    Reply
  6. Kathy Valdez says

    February 27, 2022 at 12:17 pm

    I haven’t made it yet. Thepan looks like a 9×9 but you say use 13×9??

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      February 27, 2022 at 2:20 pm

      Hey Kathy, you can use a 9×9 or 13×9. I originally used 9×9 (and that’s what I use personally everytime) but some people have had troubles with it almost bubbling over due to choice of ingredients, so I upgraded to 13×9 to make it work for everyone. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  7. Mary smith says

    November 3, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    Can I use a 9×13?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 20, 2022 at 4:37 pm

      Yes, please use a 13×9 baking dish. Enjoy the butter cake! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  8. Ashley says

    May 5, 2021 at 6:08 am

    Can you sub homemade chocolate cake for this?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 5, 2021 at 3:05 pm

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  9. Jessica says

    January 25, 2021 at 3:03 pm

    Making this for a snow day!!!!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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