St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake gets a keto makeover! This easy keto cake recipe is rich and incredibly buttery, yet still low carb enough to fit into your healthy diet.
I feel like I have been waiting forever to make a good keto gooey butter cake. I’ve been eyeing so many glorious conventional recipes, wondering if I should take a stab at making a healthier, low carb version.
Then I took the plunge and I wondered what took me so long. This cake, which is really more like bars, is deceptive in its simplicity. It doesn’t look like much but it tastes so good. And if you love keto cheesecake, you’ve got to give this a try.
Pair it with a few fresh berries and perhaps a little whipped cream, and everyone will love it!
Why this recipe is so awesome
You have to admit that the name Gooey Butter Cake is simply mouthwatering. It makes you want to run to the kitchen and get baking! It originated in St. Louis, Missouri, and it features a flat, dense cake with a filling of cream cheese and butter.
In the conventional recipe, the cake portion is usually made with boxed cake mix. And there are some pretty great keto cake mixes available these days. But I know not everyone has access to these products.
So I have provided two different version of this recipe, one with cake mix and one with the cake made from scratch. I used my almond flour cake as a guide, but scaled it back a bit to fit the recipe.
Both versions of Gooey Keto Butter Cake are easy to make and absolutely delicious. Both live up to the promise of the real deal. And if you choose a good cake mix like Swerve or Good Dee’s, the overall carb count is about the same.
It does make quite a few servings, but it’s also freezable. So you can make it to share, or just for yourself!
Reader reviews
“Such a delicious treat! Another fantastic recipe that will be saved. The consistency was as promised (gooey goodness), flavor was very real to a non-keto dessert. Downsides will be how to keep myself from eating too much of this!” — Veronica
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!!!!” — Mary C.
“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.” – Hana
Ingredients needed
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- Keto vanilla cake mix: If you want to go the cake mix route, I recommend using either Swerve Vanilla Cake Mix, King Arthur Keto Cake Mix, or Good Dee’s Snack Cake. All of these are brands I like and trust.
- Almond flour: If you want to make the cake from scratch, use good fine almond flour for the best consistency.
- Sweetener: The cake portion takes a granular sweetener and the filling needs a powdered sweetener. I use Swerve for both. See the Expert Tips for more sweetener options.
- Protein powder: A little protein powder gives the cake part better structure. Both whey protein and egg white work well, and most plant based powders work too.
- Butter: You need butter for both the cake portion and the filling.
- Cream cheese: The filling is a little like cheesecake, except softer and gooier.
- Eggs: The cake takes a single egg, so it acts more like a crust. But the filling takes two eggs.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. 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.
2. Press into the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9×13 greased baking pan.
3. 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.
4. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake at 325ºF for 35 to 45 minutes, until the filling is mostly set, but the center still jiggles, and the edges are just golden brown.
5. Remove and let cool completely, then dust with powdered sweetener and cut into bars.
Expert tips
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. Keep your eye on it as every oven is different and baking times are only ever a guide.
I highly recommend the added butter in the filling. Because low carb sweeteners don’t bake like sugar, the filling can end up more firm than the conventional gooey butter cake. The additional butter really helps this keto version.
Get creative with this recipe! Some readers have added zest of one lemon plus and a teaspoon of lemon extract to make it a lemon gooey butter cake. I also created a Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake recipe, which is super popular during the holidays.
Sweetener Options
The sweetener you choose can make or break many a recipe, but this Gooey Keto Butter Cake is a bit more forgiving. You can use any granular or powdered sweetener, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Changes in sweeteners can affect the baking time, so keep your eye on them. Allulose can also cause the cake to brown a little more quickly. Erythritol will make the filling a bit more firm, whereas allulose may make it softer and gooier.
Recipe FAQs
A conventional recipe for Gooey Butter Cake has about 35g per serving. However, this recipe for Keto Gooey Butter Cake has only 4.2g of carbs and 1.6g of fiber per square.
Classic Gooey Butter Cake contains boxed cake mix, butter, eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. This keto version offers a boxed mix option as well as making your own vanilla cake from scratch.
You can store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
Related Recipes
Keto Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (93.75 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Powdered Swerve for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease a 9×13 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.
Video
Notes
Boxed Mix Variation
To make this with keto boxed cake mix (Swerve or Good Dee’s), simply mix the cake mix with 1 egg and 1/2 cup melted butter. Then press the crust into the pan and follow the filling directions.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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!!!!
Wonderful, I am so happy to hear it!
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:)
So glad you liked it!
My daughter is allergic to almonds. Any recommendations for almond for replacement? Thanks.
You can try sunflower seed flour.
What about coconut flour?
You would need to change the entire recipe to accommodate coconut flour. So it’s not a good sub.
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!
Do you store this in the refrigerator overnight, or just leave it out? How long will it last?
Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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!!!
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.
Great, thanks! I’ll let you know how it turns out…
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????
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
So glad to hear it!
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 !
Hi Stacy… when I write just “Swerve” it means granular. But in this recipe, it really wouldn’t matter that much.
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
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.
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.
LOL! Thanks so much.
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!
This is delish but does anyone know what I can use instead of cream cheese?
No, because that’s what gooey butter cake is made with.
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).
Actually, the story in my family is that my grandfather was the inventor of the St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. I think it was back in the 30’s or 40’s. He owned 2 bakeries. And the gooey butter cake was an accident. Apparently he was trying a new recipe and it kept flopping, the butter all sunk to the center of the cake. Times being what they were,(no wasting) the flopped cakes were put out on a sale rack, and ended up being a hit. People would line up to get the cakes. Not sure what happened, but the story is he was approached by someone to sell the recipe. My grandpa was not a businessman, so he sold it to this guy who ended up selling it to Kroger for a fortune.
I remember those cakes when I was a kid, always leftover baked goods at my grandparents house. We would eat the gooey center and leave the crust, haha.
This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
A new favorite!!! Super yummy and not too sweet. Thank you
Could I use THM baking blend inplace of almond flour?
I honestly can’t guide you here, I don’t use it. When I tried it in the past, it was much much more dry than almond flour so it would not be a great sub here.