Butter Cake Recipe

5 from 17 votes

Butter Cake is easy to make with a simple box mix shortcut. A chewy butter cake base is topped with a velvety, custard-like cream cheese layer, baked together, then drizzled with butter sauce for serving.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 556kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

Cake Layer Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Layer Ingredients:

8 ounce block of cream cheese cut into pieces and softened to room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Butter Sauce Ingredients:

¼ cup salted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with baking spray.
Beat together the cake layer ingredients. Press into the prepared pan.
Beat cream cheese, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar and beat until creamy and combined. Spread over the first layer.
Bake the butter cake for 40 minutes until golden and puffy.
Meanwhile, make a butter sauce by combining butter, sugar, and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking regularly, until mixture has turned slightly golden and thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
Pour butter sauce over butter cake (either warm or after the cake has cooled) and serve.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: Store your butter cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To Freeze: You can freeze the cake in a freezer safe bag for up to 1 month.

Tips:

Be sure the eggs (and all ingredients) are at room temperature when mixing the cake layers. This helps them to combine evenly.
The bottom cake layer is sticky. If you grease your spatula with a bit of butter or nonstick cooking spray, it will be much easier to press the dough into the pan without it getting stuck to the spatula.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.
The butter sauce will thicken the longer you cook it. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes, and it was thick enough to hold its shape when poured over the cake.
Use real butter for the best flavor and texture. Most of the flavor in this cake comes from the butter, so don’t use a butter substitute.

Nutrition