Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake From Scratch

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Pumpkin gooey butter cake is a Fall inspired version of classic St. Louis gooey butter cake! This dessert tastes like pumpkin pie meets gooey butter cake with a cookie bar twist, as the filling is set on top of a press-in shortbread crust. This is an easy make-ahead dessert that will be a decadent addition to your holiday dessert spread. This pumpkin gooey butter cake is made completely from scratch and is out of this world delicious! The hardest part of this best fall dessert recipe is waiting for the cake to cool and eat!!

When making pumpkin gooey butter cake you will make two components, a shortbread crust and a rich and gooey pumpkin filling. These triple threat dessert bars are like pumpkin pie emphasized by 10 times the richness, the silkiness, and wow factor! I call them a triple threat due to the buttery shortbread crust combined with the luscious butter infused cheesecake meets spiced pumpkin pie. These bars are ultra flavorful and will invoke holiday bliss with one bite.

Crust

The first step to making this pumpkin gooey butter cake is to make the press in shortbread crust. The crust bakes before the filling is added.

This crust uses melted butter for a couple of reasons. First, it makes this an easy and quick one bowl crust! Secondly, using melted butter will give the crust a dense texture with a crunch that goes perfectly with the gooey filling. Melted butter makes the crust less airy and cakey with less rise than traditional shortbread. The combo of textures in this pumpkin gooey butter cake makes it a treat you really sink your teeth into.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Filling

The filling for this pumpkin gooey butter cake is heavenly with rich and buttery goodness along with hints of warm baking spices rounded out with creaminess. It is all about fall flavors and will even make your house smell amazing!

The filling is also easily made in one large bowl with a hand mixer. It is mixed up and poured over the warm crust. Then it’s baked for about 40 more minutes, removed from the oven when it still has a bit of jiggle in the middle. It’s important not to over-bake. Both the. Crust and the filling set as it cools, so make sure to set it completely. The crust gets a hearty crunch to it that compliments the rich and gooey filling.

And For More Holiday Baking Recipes…

Can’t get enough gooey butter recipes? Try my popular gooey butter cupcakes or my gooey butter cookies featured on The Today Show. Want more pumpkin dessert and pumpkin baking recipes? Try my pumpkin cake , Baked Pumpkin donuts , Pumpkin spice latte cupcakes.

Thanks for baking my Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake! For more free recipes, follow me on Instagram.

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Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 c All purpose Flour
• 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 C unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Filling

• 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 C powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 C pure pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the crust by combining the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.
3. Melt the butter and add it to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until combined. It will be a crumby mixture.
4. Dump the mixture into the baking pan and press crust in along bottom of the pan.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until crust is starting to lightly brown and fragrant.
6. While the crust is baking make the filling by putting cream cheese and butter into a large bowl. Then use a hand mixer to mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
7. Add powdered sugar and mix on medium low speed until smooth.
8. Then add the pumpkin, spices, salt, and mix.
9. Add vanilla and eggs and mix gently until combined. Use a spatula to smooth the batter.
10. Then pour batter on top of warm crust.
11. Lower oven temp to 335 and bake an additional 40-45 minutes.
12. Do not over-bake. There should be a slight jiggle in the middle with a set outer area.
13. This needs to cool completely before sprinkling on powdered sugar and slicing.
14. Store in the fridge in airtight container for up to 3 days.