A Paula Deen classic goes keto! You’re going to love this delectable low carb Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Sugar-free and grain-free. This post is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
Gooey butter cake! Isn’t that just the loveliest phrase you’ve ever heard? Let me say it again for you. Gooey butter cake!
Want to make it sound even better? How about this: Keto Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake! Now that may be the most delicious combination or words I’ve ever heard.
I thought I was done with new keto pumpkin recipes this season. I have so many in my recipe archives already and I added a few new ones this fall, most notably the keto pumpkin crumb cake and the keto instant pot pumpkin cheesecake. I felt I’d sufficiently fulfilled my pumpkin duties for the year.
And then a reader messaged me over Instagram, begging me to makeover Paula Deen’s famous pumpkin gooey butter cake. And then it became all I could think about for several days. I knew it had to be done.
Reinventing Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Gooey butter cake relies heavily on three things for its delicious gooeyness: cream cheese, butter, and eggs.
So it’s of the utmost importance that your ingredients are good quality. I make sure to source organic cream cheese and butter, and I always rely on Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs for my holiday baking. Their eggs are Certified Humane Free Range, so I can feel good about doing my part to support smaller family farms that practice humane and sustainable farming.
The crust of a conventional gooey butter cake is made with vanilla cake mix, but I make mine from scratch with some of the same ingredients I would use for a cake. Then, I add one egg and a whole stick of melted butter, staying true to the idea of gooey butter cake. It essentially takes cake mix and turns it into a firm but tender crust.
Then, to get that super gooey pumpkin filling, I followed Paula Deen’s recipe pretty closely with 8 ounces of cream cheese and another stick of butter. I cut back on the pumpkin a bit to make sure it wasn’t watery, and added 2 Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
I also used quite a bit less sweetener. The original takes a full pound of powdered sugar, which is two full cups! Like many keto dieters, my taste for sweets has changed tremendously, so I used only 1 cup of sweetener in total. I used mostly powdered sweetener, with a little brown sugar substitute to deepen the flavor.
The Ultimate Keto Pumpkin Cake
I was expecting to like this, but I honestly didn’t expect to like it this much. The crust was tender but sturdy, and the filling was truly gooey and full of amazing pumpkin flavor.
You’re not going to like hearing this, but you absolutely must let this keto cake cool completely before cutting it into bars. I know, I know, I wanted to dig in right out of the oven, too! But because of the pumpkin, this is even more gooey and moist than my regular keto gooey butter cake.
Mine took the full 60 minutes to bake through and could possibly have baked even 5 minutes longer. I took it out when the sides were set nicely within about 2 inches of the edge of the pan, but the center was still quite jiggly. I deliberately underbaked because I wanted true gooeyness.
So it really needs to sit and cool for a few hours to avoid being mushy. You can pop it in the fridge to help it firm up a little faster.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve Granular, or other granulated eryrhritol
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup Swerve Confectioners, or other powdered erythritol
- 1/4 cup Swerve Brown, or other brown sugar replacement
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F and lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ glass or ceramic baking dish (metal is not recommended).
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, granulated sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Add the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract, and stir well to combine. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into the bottom and up the sides.
- Press this mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish.
Pumpkin Filling
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered and brown sweeteners until well combined, then beat in the pumpkin, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the filling over the crust. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the sides are set about 2 inches from the edges of the pan, while the center is still a little jiggly.
- Remove the cake from oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Notes
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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Carolyn, this was sooo good! Honestly, I remember making Paula’s version in the past and not being overly impressed by it, but this was great! I tested out 1/2 batch in an 8×8 pan (using 1/2 the volume of one scrambled egg for the cake layer), and I accidentally burned it, forgetting to adjust baking time for a smaller pan. However, even that batch was good enough that I repeated the recipe to take to a dinner party tonight. Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, delighted to hear it!
Just made this today and both my kids and husband loved it! I love to bake and it has been difficult to find keto recipes that taste good. Thank you so much!
Glad you like it!
Do you think this recipe would work with one of the granulated (or confectioner’s or brown) Stevia products, rather than erithrytol? And, do you think the quantities would need to change? Erithrytol can be a little tough on the digestive system for some.
Without knowing which sweetener you plan to actually use, I can’t possibly say.
Carolyn could i use a Swerve yellow cake mix for the crust and add the butter and egg to that? I have one in the pantry and just wondered. Can’t wait to try this!
Yup! Check my original (non pumpkin) gooey butter cake, I think I say how to use Swerve mixes there. It’s basically the mix, 1 egg, the whole stick of butter, and some vanilla.
O…M…G!!! I only tasted this when it had come down to room temp – but it was fabulous! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow when it’s cold.
I found I was out of granulated Swerve, so I substituted some random sweeteners in the cake layer.
I will be making this for T-Day, and will probably acquire some granular Swerve by then.
Thank you so much for what you do!
Totally weird but I’ve been everywhere and followed what you told someone else but can’t find the recipe and must have it!???? maybe I should go to your site…
Sandi
Big link on a coloured background that says “Please see my…” is it not showing up for you? It’s right above the nutritional facts.
Hi Carolyn,
Could bocha sweet be substituted for the granular serve or would iut stop the cake from setting properly. I have come over to my daughter’s in Australia for the holidays and didn’t bring my granular with me. 🙁
I will have this on my Thanksgiving table!!!
For the cake, I think it should be okay. It’s in cookies that it doesn’t work as well, it keeps them from crisping.
Can’t wait to try the pumpkin gooey butter cake recipe. It looks so yummy! Thank you. Here is a good site to check out with an unbiased egg score card. https://www.cornucopia.org/scorecard/eggs/ (if allowed here)
Thank you. Making this for Thanksgiving ????????
Nutrition facts?
Sorry about that, I forgot to add them in. Fixing it now, they will be right below my link to Pete and Gerrys!
As someone who was born and raised in Missouri, gooey butter cake is a staple in my home. Going keto has stopped me from enjoying my favs and can’t wait to try this! I am curious if the cake portion could be made with coconut flour instead? If not I’ll have to run to the store ???????? don’t mind at all though!
I don’t think coconut flour would make a very good base. It absorbs liquid too much. Sorry!
Hi! I don’t actually see the recipe here. Am I missing a link or something? I scrolled thru this entire link (given off of your FB post) and don’t see it. Please help. Thanks so much!
Big link right above the last photo that has a coloured background (was trying to make it MORE visible). Hope that helps!
I checked several times and swore it was deleted accidentally or never added! So I’m glad you asked and Kelly pointed us in the right direction.
It’s there and has always been there.
I don’t see the recipe anywhere is this a joke ? ????
Honestly, you can’t see the big link in the coloured (blue-green) background?
I had no trouble finding it, but perhaps adding the word “recipe” might help those that are missing it… like “Click here for the recipe on Pete and Gerry’s etc etc”. Anyhoo, I can’t wait to make this one for Thanksgiving! Thanks for all of your hard work!!
Great sounding recipe and I can’t wait to try. Due to watery nature of canned pumpkin, I will spread it about 1//2 -3/4 inch thick on quadruple layer of paper towels and also cover with thick layer of paper towels I let sit for an hour on the counter and the pumpkin is good to go for my recipe. Thank you Carolyn!
Great idea. See my previous post; I was thinking I would heat it in the microwave to steam off some of the moisture, then let it cool before adding to the mix.
I learned this on America’s Test Kitchen, works perfectly. I think it makes the pumpkin flavor stronger.
Edited to add- laying the pumpkin on paper towels.
It all depends on your pumpkin puree. The organic one I get at Whole Foods is very thick and this would be irrelevant. But if you’re puree is watery, then yes by all means go ahead!
I love all your recipes. Everything I ever make from you always comes out perfect unlike some other sites.
I can’t wait to make this Keto Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Do you have the nutritional values for it. I mostly would like the net carbs. Thanks so much
Sorry, I just added them in. I was so tired last night and was trying to get this post up. They are just under the link to Pete and Gerrys.
Another inspired idea from you! Thanks for making this low carb lifestyle SO delicious!
I had a thought about the pumpkin. I’m wondering if cooking the pumpkin puree a bit then cooling it down before using it would help with it firming up? I’m thinking of putting it in a bowl, uncovered, in the microwave and heating it for a few minutes so that some of the moisture evaporates, then letting it cool completely before adding to the mixture. To your point, the additional moisture the pumpkin adds would definitely make it a “looser” texture; removing some of that moisture might make a big difference. I’l going to try it and let you know.
–Sara Spigler Pomish
This looks absolutely heavenly! If you could only serve one dish on Thanksgiving, which of your recipes would you serve? Because there will only be 3 at my table and I can’t make everything 🙂
Oh boy, that’s a tough question! Because I have a huge archive of keto Thanksgiving recipes. I like variation, though. I might do this one or I might do my pecan pie. Or, if you didn’t want too many leftovers, I might do a double batch of the “Pecan Pie for Two”. Either way… you’re not going to lose out. 🙂
Pete & Gerry’s eggs are the best!! Can’t wait to try this recipe