St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake gets a keto makeover! This easy cake recipe is rich and incredibly buttery, but still low carb enough to fit into your healthy keto diet. Sugar free and grain free.
I feel like I have been waiting forever to make a good keto gooey butter cake recipe. I’ve seen so many glorious conventional gooey butter cakes, which really are more like bars than cake, and I kept eyeing them, wondering if I should take a stab at making a healthier, low carb version.
What was stopping me, you ask? Simple. The lack of good low carb boxed vanilla cake mix. The original St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake takes boxed cake mix and when I re-make a recipe, I like to pay homage as much as I can to the original recipe.
But now, with the advent of not one but two really good keto cake mixes on the market, I decided it was time to give it a go. Both Good Dee’s and Swerve make really good vanilla cake mixes that are perfect for a low carb version of gooey butter cake.
What is Gooey Butter Cake?
You have to admit, it’s such a great name, it makes you want to run to your kitchen and make it straight away, doesn’t it? But what exactly IS gooey butter cake? Well I’ve been doing my research on that!
- It originated in St. Louis, Missouri, and like any traditional recipe, it seems to have many iterations. But generally it’s a flat, dense cake topped with a gooey sweet filling of cream cheese and butter.
- The cake portion is usually made with boxed cake mix, but you add a lot more butter, fewer eggs, and no additional liquids, so it doesn’t rise much but stays dense and buttery.
- The filling is made by beating cream cheese, butter, eggs, and powdered sugar (or sweetener) together and pouring it over top. Then it’s baked just enough so that the topping stays ooey and gooey.
- You then sprinkle it with a liberal amount of powdered sweetener/sugar.
- It’s also often baked in 9×13 pans and cut into squares, so you may see it referred to as gooey butter bars.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
How to Make Keto Gooey Butter Cake
I tried several different versions of this cake so I could give you some options.
The first time I made it, I used the Swerve Vanilla Cake mix for the crust, and simply followed the rest of the recipe I found on the Tidy Mom blog, swapping powdered Swerve for the sugar. Cheryl is actually from St. Louis and I figured she knew what she was talking about!
I took that version to the Oregon Coast when we went away with friends and it was a huge hit.
But knowing that not everyone wants to use, or can afford, the keto cake mixes, I decided to also make it with one of my own basic keto vanilla cake recipes. I did cut the amounts back by one third so it wasn’t too much cake and not enough filling.
I also tried adding some butter to the filling on the second go, to make it more gooey. I’d seen several variations with the added butter and given how much I love butter, I figured it couldn’t be a bad thing.
That version got taken to CrossFit, where it was also a huge hit. But they are hungry people, those crazy CrossFitters.
As I said, you have options here. You could make it with boxed cake mix or with my vanilla cake. But I highly recommend the added butter in the filling. Because low carb sweeteners aren’t like sugar, the filling is more firm when it’s just cream cheese and eggs. Sugar keeps things softer, so the additional butter really helps this keto version.
If you truly want a gooey butter cake, make sure to under-bake it. Don’t wait for that filling to firm up, take it out of the oven while the center is still quite jiggly.
That’s really it! It’s a remarkably easy cake, whether you use boxed cake mix or not. And with these low carb ingredients, how can you go wrong?
Want more gooey dessert recipes? Check out my Keto Desserts Page!
Keto Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered Swerve for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla extract and stir to combine well. Press into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared baking pan.
- In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined, then beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the filling over the crust. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the filling is mostly set, but the center still jiggles, and the edges are just golden brown.
- Remove and let cool, then dust with powdered Swerve and cut into bars.
Cheri Riley says
I’m sorry, but it doesn’t taste good. I think it’s the sweetener.
Carolyn says
So here’s the thing. It tastes good to the vast majority who try it but not all sweeteners appeal to everyone. If you are experiencing an aftertaste, definitely switch sweeteners!
Nataliya says
I made it yesterday for the first time.All I have to say is thank you Carolyn for a wonderful recipe ! You are the best!
Chelsea Santos says
Is it still low carb if you eat the entire pan in 1.5 days? Man, this was so good. My fiance ate half the pan in one day, then proceeded to hog it the following day, needles to say he LOVED it. It tasted like an airy but a little dense (a bit of an oxymoron but that’s how it tasted lol) and delicious cheesecake of sorts with an awesome buttery crust. I have nothing to compare this to since I have never had ooey gooey cake, but that’s how I would describe it. I’ll be making it again real soon and am going to hide it because I got robbed this time around!
Michele says
How do you think it would turn out with gentle sweet instead of swerve. But still using the swerve powered?
Carolyn says
Don’t know, I really don’t like Gentle Sweet.
Leah Kohman says
Should this be stored in the fridge or On the counter?
Carolyn says
It can be on the counter for 2 or 3 days but should be in the fridge if it’s going to be around longer.
Emma says
I’m not sure how to rate it since I managed to overcook mine a little. The recipe said 35-45 minutes so I thought it as fine setting my timer on 30 min but my oven must have been warmer and it was no longer jiggly in the center. It still tasted good but I’m not sure the texture is what it’s supposed to be according to the recipe. Gooey butter cake wasn’t something I’d ever heard of before this recipe so I have nothing to compare it to but it was easy to make and had a nice mild flavor. If I do this again I’ll keep a closer eye on it around 20-25 minutes.
Carolyn says
It definitely should have been more jiggly so it sounds like your oven runs a bit hot.
Hana says
I just made it and hubby and I were absolutely delighted with it. The texture of the base is like a delicious cookie and the filling is absolutely heavenly. Even my neighbours (who are not ‘keto’ dieters) loved it. This is a real keeper.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Temple says
Can I substitute liquid whey for the powdered whey? If so, in what quantity?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
No you can’t. It would add far too much liquid to the recipe.
Mary Crawford says
This is by far THE best Keto dessert I have made to date! I followed the directions to a tee and my husband and I almost fought over the last piece!! That would explain why I’m making another one today! Going to try the pumpkin or maybe lemon additions but the original is fantastic!!!!
Carolyn says
Wonderful, I am so happy to hear it!
Miranda says
Oh My! This might actually push your Sour Cream Lemon Pie off the top of my favorites list! So good and it really was a very simple recipe! Miranda at The Reluctant Cowgirl:)
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Debi Fitzgerald says
My daughter is allergic to almonds. Any recommendations for almond for replacement? Thanks.
Carolyn says
You can try sunflower seed flour.
Cassandra Dugan says
What about coconut flour?
Carolyn says
You would need to change the entire recipe to accommodate coconut flour. So it’s not a good sub.
Sam says
Just made this. It was delicious! I couldn’t even wait for it to cool all the way down before digging in. It was so quick and easy. I’ll definitely be making again!
Sam says
Do you store this in the refrigerator overnight, or just leave it out? How long will it last?
Carolyn says
Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Kim says
Hi! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Have you, it any of your readers, ever tried adding lemon to this yumminess? If so, how’d it go? Thanks for the recipe!!!
Carolyn says
I do believe a few readers have. Lemon zest has lots of great flavor so I’d do the zest of one lemon plus maybe a teaspoon of lemon extract.
Kim says
Great, thanks! I’ll let you know how it turns out…
Kim says
My exact thought! I will add lemon zest next time, St Louis native who made original gooey butter cake for most every family occasion for the last 40 years, until we went wheat free. Now Keto and this is divinely welcomed????
Apurva Desai says
I just made this cake even though I’ve never tasted the original. The cake came out great and is delicious. Approved by even the non Keto members-aka harsh critics in my family.
It’s definitely a keeper. While this was my first recipe from your site, it certainly won’t the last!
Thanks!
Apurva
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Stacy says
I made this tonight. It’s really good except I misread and only put 1/2 c. Of swerve in the filling so it wasn’t sweet enough for me. But still great!
Did you use powdered swerve for the crust and filling? I wasn’t sure…I did use it for both.
Thanks for the awesome recipe !
Carolyn says
Hi Stacy… when I write just “Swerve” it means granular. But in this recipe, it really wouldn’t matter that much.
Bernadette says
I made your butter cake and it was good. It has some slight cooling effect from the Swerve. Is there a method to eliminate the cooling effect? Is there a way to make the Butter cake into a Rum Cake? Could I use Rum and not Rum Extract? If so, what would the measurement be for the Rum. If I had to use Rum extract, how much would I add? I bought your new Holiday cookbook and am looking forward to baking with it. Thanks so much, Bernadette
Carolyn says
Many people find that a combination of sweeteners, like Swerve and stevia, help the cooling sensation. i don’t get it at all. Not sure how much rum but feel free to replace some or most of the liquid! have fun with it.
Gayle Jones says
As a St. Louis native (in Detroit) gone Keto, I have 3 things to say.
1. I love you. I honestly love you.
2. Let me know if you work out toasted Rav’s.
3. Seriously, I love you so much.
Carolyn says
LOL! Thanks so much.
Kathleen says
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for a Low Carb, Keto version of Gooey Butter Cake!
I grew up in St. Louis and still live in the surrounding area. I grew up eating Gooey Butter Cake made the original way and have great memories of going to our local bakery to pick it up. Eventually a version was sold in local grocery stores, but the best came from the bakery!
I have made the version using cream cheese and cake mix, as have many, but it doesn’t compare to the original, which isn’t made with Cream Cheese and has a yeast based crust.
A year or two ago, I decided to see if I could find a recipe for the original version and found a few. The original recipe has a yeast based crust and uses sugar and corn syrup in the topping. I found each varies slightly in amounts used, but are similar to the ones I grew up with. We can still buy a version of the original one in our stores, but they now sell the cream cheese version too, which taste sweeter and more gooey than the original.
Thanks again!
Mina says
This is delish but does anyone know what I can use instead of cream cheese?
Carolyn says
No, because that’s what gooey butter cake is made with.
Kathi says
Hi – if you’re asking because of dairy intolerance, there are vegan cream cheese alternatives but as I’ve never used them can’t say how they’ll behave in a baked good such as this – you’ll just have to try it. (Miyokos and Follow Your Heart are the brands I’ve heard of, Btw).