Carrot Cake Twist Dessert: A Gooey Butter Cake Transformation
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If you love both gooey butter cake and carrot cake, this Carrot Cake Twist Dessert is for you! With all the flavors of our favorite carrot cake—warm spices, real carrots, and a gooey pecan filling—it’s a delicious, easy twist on a classic favorite that’s perfect for any occasion.
If gooey butter cake makes your heart (and sweet tooth) happy, you’re in for a treat—these recipes are ready to steal the spotlight (and maybe your fork)! Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Nutella Gooey Butter Cake, and Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake. 😍
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Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake
No need to drive to St. Louis when you’re craving St Louis Gooey Butter Cake! Now you can make it at home in no time at all!
Get ready to dive into spring with this fun twist on this gooey delectable midwest staple! This Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake will be your new favorite dessert from the moment you sink your teeth into it. There’s truly no resisting the moist cake bottom, rich gooey filling, and crunchy pecan topping!
No crazy ingredients, tools, or time needed to make your sweet tooth dreams come true with this one! Grab your favorite spice cake mix, some fresh carrots, and a lot of pecans for a gooey butter cake that’s perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or just any day you need an excuse to eat cake!
Why You’re Going To Love This Carrot Gooey Butter Cake
- It’s the perfect blend of classic carrot cake and gooey butter cake—two desserts in one!
- Super easy to make, with minimal effort for maximum flavor.
- The rich, gooey center will have you coming back for more with every bite.
- It’s a great make-ahead dessert—tastes even better on day 2!
- A guaranteed hit at any gathering, with everyone asking for the recipe!
What is Gooey Butter Cake?
If you’re not from St.Louis, you might be scratching your head right now saying to yourself “what the heck is gooey butter cake?” Well, let me enlighten you!
Gooey butter cake may have gained fame thanks to Paula Deen, but it got its start as a true St. Louis original.
Gooey butter cake is a rich, dense treat made with flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. It’s about an inch tall and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s sweet, buttery, and firm enough to cut into perfect little squares—aka bites of pure heaven!
Is Gooey Butter Cake the Same As Chess Squares?
Not exactly, but they’re definitely dessert cousins! Gooey butter cake and chess squares have similar ingredients like butter, sugar, and cream cheese, but they’re different. Gooey butter cake has a yeasted or cake mix crust with a gooey, buttery filling. Chess squares use a cake mix base and have a denser, custard-like top layer. Both are rich, sweet, and dangerously easy to love!
Ingredients Needed
- box Spice Cake Mix
- large eggs
- butter – melted
- finely grated carrots
- cream cheese, softened
- powdered sugar (+ extra for dusting)
- pecans – chopped (+extra for sprinkling on top)
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This baking pan can be used to bake brownies, bar cookies, casseroles, and more. Add the plastic cover, then bring them to a picnic, party, or family gathering!
How To Make A Perfect Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake
Thanks to the help of a cake mix, this recipe is a piece of cake, literally! 😉 Just look at how simple these instructions are! So easy, you could even let the kids take charge with this one.
- Preheat oven and grease a 9x13x2 pan.
- Mix spice cake mix, egg, melted butter, and carrots in a large bowl. Press dough into the pan.
- Blend cream cheese, eggs, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Fold in chopped pecans and spread filling over dough.
- Bake until edges are brown, then cool on a rack.
- Dust with powdered sugar, sprinkle with pecans, and enjoy!
When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
Gooey Butter Secrets From A True St. Louisan
- It’s best a couple of days old: If you really have experience with gooey butter cake then you’ll know that it’s always better a few days after you make it. Those extra couple days really allows the flavors to seep into each other and make for the best taste and a crispier edge.
- Don’t be afraid to use a cake mix: I love a good homemade recipe, but sometimes it’s worth it to take the shortcut and use a cake mix. Trust me, this recipe is just as good whether it’s a homemade crust or a cake mix crust, so don’t be afraid to save yourself some time and effort!
- Completely soften the cream cheese: I cannot stress enough the importance of fully softening cream cheese. If it’s not completely room temp you will end up with a lumpy filling, and no one wants that. I suggest letting your cream cheese sit on the counter for at least a few hours to be at the perfect temperature.
- Have fun with the flavors: What I love about gooey butter cake is that you can really make it your own! While you should try this carrot cake version, don’t be afraid to mix it up and try other flavors, like Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, and Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake.
More Spring Dessert Recipes
Easy Meyer Lemon Pie This recipe packs a ton of sweet lemon flavor with a fluffy texture.
Layered Pineapple Cake This pineapple cake is a tropical dream! Soft, white cake has a hint of rum and pineapple baked right in a tangy pineapple filling.
No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake With Cookie Crust The perfect make-ahead dessert for a summer BBQ or potluck.
Frozen Banana Split Dessert This make-ahead frozen dessert recipe is perfect for warm weather gatherings. It takes very little work to make ahead, freeze, and then pull from the freezer when you’re ready to serve.
Double Berry Cheesecake Lush It all starts with a golden Oreo cookie crust. The cookie crust is layered with cream cheese, cheesecake pudding, strawberries, raspberries, and topped with more whipped topping and berries.
Key Lime Oreo Truffle Cream Pie A no-bake pie with a graham cracker crust filled with a layer of rich Key Lime Oreo filling and chocolatey mousse filling!
This Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake Will Put A Spring in Your Step
Nothing says spring like a good carrot dessert, with plenty of cream cheese filling! It’s simplistic, yet bold flavors make this carrot cake gooey butter cake a top notch party dessert.
Bring it to your next family event, or holiday brunch and no one will be able to stop raving about it! I know you’re going to love it as much as we do!
Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake
You won't have any will power once this Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake hits your mouth! We are giving the traditional Gooey Butter Cake a spring twist with all the flavors of our favorite carrot cake! It's a spice cake chock-full of real carrots with cream cheese and pecan gooey filling to put it over the top!
Ingredients
- 1 Box Spice Cake Mix
- 1 large Egg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1½ cups finely grated carrots
For Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups powdered sugar (+ extra for dusting)
- 1¼ cup chopped pecans - divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F and grease a 9x13x2 cake pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg and melted butter and carrots until well combined (it should be a thick dough).
- Using clean hands press the dough into the prepared pan with your fingers.
- Using an electric mixer, blend, cream cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 3/4 cups of the chopped pecans.
- Spread filling over first dough layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are brown.
- Cool cake on cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans after cake has cooled completely. Enjoy!
Notes
I like to make this a day or so ahead of time, because I actually like it better when it’s a day or two old the gooey center firms up more.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 403Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 405mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Originally posted in March 2019. Updated with more information in April 2025.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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This combination of carrot cake and gooey butter cake is divine! Can’t wait to make it again for Easter.
This carrot cake is dreamy! Definitely making for Easter!
This cake is all my dreams come true! I absolutely LOVE it!
This cake is amazing. I am drooling just looking at the picture.
Carrot Cake just got better!!!
These are delicious! Thanks for leaving them for me. Yum yum yum.