Gooey butter cake is beloved for its, well, gooey texture and warm, comforting flavors that are decadent but not fussy or overwhelming. So we took that recipe and gave it a fall twist—with apple butter and an apple-caramel sauce.
The final dish is super soft and gooey towards the center (that is its name, after all), but the edges get beautifully crisped and well-browned. A quick caramel-apple sauce brings everything together and helps really drive home the apple flavor.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top to take this to the next level of decadence. If you like sugary sweet desserts and you also like being a little extra when you show off your baking skills, well this is the dessert for you.
Recipe Tips For Apple Butter Gooey Cake
- It is difficult to gauge the doneness on this cake because it is so gooey. A toothpick isn’t all that reliable. We recommend just giving it a shake—if there is very little to no jiggle, it’s done.
- Store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Store the caramel sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days; reheat in the microwave or stovetop.
- If you feel like it is getting too dark on top and the cake is still underdone, cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake.
- Different brands of caramel sauce have different consistencies; some are noticeably thicker than others, so you might want to add a bit of water if it seems to be thickening too quickly.
- The caramel sauce will be thicken up as it cools, so cook it until it reaches a consistency that is just thinner than what you want to serve it at.
- You can get away with using a different cake mix flavor—spiced or carrot cake might be nice.
- Add some apple pie spice into the cake for some extra aroma.
- Serve warm for extra ooey gooey-ness, or let cool completely for neater, cleaner slices. If serving warm, you could also just scoop with a spoon instead of trying to slice it.
Editor’s Note: This recipe was developed by Craig Ruff; the headnote was written by Kimberly Holland.
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