Description
A luscious, fall-ready gooey butter cake with pumpkin-spiced custard on a tender cake crust. Same ingredients and timing — but said in a new way.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (15–18 oz) box yellow cake mix
- 4 large eggs, divided (1 for the crust layer + 3 for the filling)
- 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted and split into ½ cup + ½ cup
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree
- 8 oz cream cheese, very soft
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Equipment: 9–10″ springform or round cake pan; parchment paper; mixing bowls; electric mixer (or whisk and elbow grease).
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment and spray the sides lightly so the cake releases cleanly.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, stir the cake mix together with ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter and the single egg until the mixture comes together into a moist, crumbly dough. Press this evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan to form a thin base.
- Prepare the pumpkin filling: In the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, the remaining 3 eggs, the other ½ cup melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix on low–medium speed until silky and homogeneous, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Assemble and bake: Pour the pumpkin-cream-cheese mixture over the pressed cake-mix crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40–50 minutes. The edges should set and take on a light golden color while the center remains slightly wobbly — that’s the gooey goodness.
- Cool and slice: Let the cake sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. For neater slices, chill briefly so the center firms a touch.
Notes
- Use room-temperature ingredients (especially the cream cheese and eggs) for the smoothest filling.
- Don’t overbake — aim for a just-set edge with a slightly jiggly center; the cake continues to firm as it cools.
- If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil partway through baking.
- A springform pan makes removing the cake easier, but a well-prepared round pan works fine too.
- To freeze: cut into squares, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Nutrition
- Calories: 469kcal
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 406mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 122mg