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Ooey Gooey Butter Cake (dairy-free, egg-free, grain-free)

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ooey gooey cake

Two words. Ooey. Gooey.

When I was little this was my favorite cake. Not surprising since it’s sort of similar to a cheese danish, and cheese danish was my second favorite thing to eat.

For years I tried to find the recipe for this cake, but we couldn’t remember its name. I searched for things like, “vanilla cake with cream cheese,” and “cross between cake and cheesecake,” and couldn’t figure it out.

Then the other night I simply typed in, “gooey cake.” Bingo! That’s actually what it’s called. Well, that and “gooey butter cake.”

The cake’s origin comes from the midwest, which is where my mom is from. Have you ever had this cake or heard of it? Oh man, if you haven’t you are in for such a treat.

As the name suggests, this cake is well… ooey and gooey 🙂 Even more so straight out of the oven.

Another reason why I’m so crazy excited about this recipe is because it’s egg-free. I have been trying to make a grain-free/egg-free vanilla cake for years. I’m so excited to have this one for you now 🙂

UPDATE: I’ve made this many times now, so I’ve updated the recipe and the instructions to make it even better for you. Also, other people have been loving this cake – see the comments for their reviews 🙂

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free

Dry Cake Ingredients:
2 cups Honeyville almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (tapioca would also work)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder (this is the egg-substitute)**

Wet Cake Ingredients:
1/4 cup ghee or butter substitute, melted (I used Earth Balance, Organic Coconut Spread)
1/4 cup honey
1/8 tsp vanilla stevia
1 tsp vanilla extract

“Cream Cheese” Topping:
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup ghee or butter substitute, melted (I used Earth Balance, Organic Coconut Spread)
2 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder (this is the egg-substitute)**
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

  1. Set the oven to 325F and grease a square baking dish. Set aside.
  2. Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
  3. Whisk the dry ingredients well. This is a very important step, don’t skip it. The psyllium powder MUST be whisked in completely.
  4. Add the wet cake ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix with an electric mixer for about 10 seconds. Stop when it looks like a crumble for coffee cake, not like a solid mass of dough. Add the cake crumble to the dish. Spread evenly, but don’t mash it down.
  5. In the blender or food processor puree the “cream cheese” topping until completely smooth.
  6. Pour the “cream cheese” topping over the cake crumble.
  7. Bake for about 25 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool, then serve.

Store leftovers in the fridge. Great cold too.

**I think you could sub an egg for the psyllium husk powder in the cake and an egg white for the psyllium husk powder in the topping, but I haven’t tested it yet myself.

♥, Kelly

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  1. This sounds oh so yummy! Have been afraid of using psyllium husks because pre gluten free days, by GI had me try this for what he diagnosed as IBS and it sure did make my tummy hurt. But have seen so many recipes and heard such good things about it as an egg replacer. Have you had any trouble with it? Maybe introducing slowly? I cannot wait to try this recipe… May try with egg now since we can eat them occasionally, though try to avoid them because my daughter and I are intolerant.

  2. I grew up outside of St. Louis where I think this cake originated. It is wonderful and I’m so excited to try yours. I live in Fort Collins now and must be gluten and grain free. People have looked at me kinda funny when I would talk about the gooey butter cake I remember…glad you brought (a healthy) version to the West!

  7. That sounds yummy and fairly easy to make.
    Friday I made a gluten free, dairy free box cake which the family said tasted like cornbread with chocolate icing and then we all had a good laugh!
    I’ll have them eating their words about my cakes when I make this one.
    Thank you for sharing. My DIL is dairy and soy free due to their newborn having a milk protein allergy so I am always on the lookout for recipes.

  8. Kelly! You are so genius!! This looks incredible. I’m curious to know if you pack your almond flour into the cup when measuring, or if you do the “spoon and sweep” method?

    xoxo
    Hallie

  9. This looks yummy. However, I’m also starchless and you have arrowroot in there. Could coconut flour be used instead? I can’t do tapioca either. I’m assuming the arrowroot is used as a thickener?

    I LOVE cheese danish . . . so if this tastes anything like this, I bet it’s scrumpdelicious!

  10. Hi, Kelly! I would like to make this cake. However I do not live in the US so I cannot purchase the particular brand of almond flour you recommend. Could you please provide the weight of the almond flour, so I can make it anyway? Thanks a lot!

  11. Kelly, if you (or anyone else) tries this with egg can you post how it came out? This looks amazing! – Kim

  13. This sounds DIVINE. I will be trying it soon. I tend to eat dairy and love actual cream cheese…I assume I could substitute it for the cashews and coconut milk? or do I need the coconut milk? Can’t wait to try!

  14. Thanks guys!

    BeyondBorders, We haven’t had any trouble with it.

    Mama Hayes, I’ve never used them, but I hear they’re finely ground like Honeyville.

    Amber, ROTFL 🙂

    Hallie, I’ve never packed my flours. Do you?

    Doris, I don’t think coconut flour would work as a sub for starch. I would experiment with maybe leaving the starch out and not replacing it. Let us know if that works for you.

    Giorgia, I don’t use a scale. Do you have Bob’s Red Mill? You can use that and add an extra quarter cup.

    Laura, I don’t think they are quite the same, but you could try using chia meal if you want to experiment.

    KSmith, I would look at a conventional gooey butter cake recipe to see how to make it with dairy.

  15. My daughter and I made this last night, and it was enjoyed by all! The only thing I think I’ll do differently is maybe make double the cream cheese topping and layer it in with the cake. We really liked that topping!

  16. Now are those are two perfect words to describe a cake. And when it is describing a grain and dairy free cake…that means it is divine! Thanks for this incredible recipe!

  18. I made this Kelly. It’s delish! I made a couple of substitutions, using only stevia in the sauce and apple sauce for honey in the base. Worked wonderfully. I put a layer of berries between the cake and the sauce and with the decreased sweetness it was the perfect breakfast. A winner! Going on the Replenish FB page for sure.

  19. This looks so amazing! I’ve been wanting to try gooey butter cake for years, but since the butter and the traditional cake part is not an option I was stumped! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂

  20. I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! I did sub out the psyllium husks for eggs. I used one egg in the topping and two in the cake. With only one egg the batter look way too dense. The batter was not crumbly but very thick. I baked the cake at 325 but it took longer to cook. I used an oven thermometer and took it out at 32-33 minutes. I think next time I might add some homemade sugar free raspberry jam. It reminded me of a danish.
    Thanks for the great recipe!

  22. My gosh, I am just so taken by your blog. It really is beautiful. Your photos and feel of it are so pleasant! I recently found out I am sensitive gluten, and I have been struggling a little. I decided to browse some blogs and it has been so inspiring! I even started my very own 🙂 I cant wait to be a real part of the GF blogging community! I can’t wait to try out some of your recipes!

    deelivingfree.blogspot.com

  24. I just made this and I am wondering if, when it comes out of the oven, the stuff on top is set or if it is as wet as uncooked batter when touched. Mine was completely wet after being cooked for 35 minutes. So I cooked it at least 10 more minutes, maybe more, until the topping seemed set. It tastes great, though a bit crumbly, so I was just wondering if that’s how it should be.

    I also wanted to let you know that I used unblanched almond flour that I ground in my coffee grinder. I used 1/2-3/4 cups more than specified in the recipe. (I didn’t have any Honeyville flour on hand.) I think it turned out pretty good (and darker in color), though I probably should have decreased or eliminated the fat since it seems a tad oily. As I said, it is a bit crumbly, too. Is yours? Maybe it sets up as it cools, but I didn’t wait:)

    Thanks for a fabulous recipe!

  26. We tried this cake for Mother’s Day. We used eggs in place of the psyllium in the cake and the topping, one egg for the topping and two for the wet ingredients. The combined wet and dry ingredients did not look like a coffee cake crumble–much more batter-like. We added about an extra 1/4 cup almond flour to soak up some of the extra egg liquid, then baked it for about 10 extra minutes. It looks great!

  27. Hi Kelly, I made this and I used 18 ounces of bobs almond flour. That’s 2 1/4 cups. The cake did not come together at all but I didn’t know what to expect so baked it anyway. I’m guessing I should have measured by volume, not weight?
    Thanks,
    Erica

  28. I’m pumped to make this! I don’t have psyillium husks but I know that 1/2 banana or 1/4 cup applesauce can be used as an egg replacer in vegan baking so that will be my attempt. This sounds too good to pass up!

  29. I used eggs in replacement and they worked in the batter of the cake but not in the topping. They made the topping frothy and it didn’t sink in at all so it almost made it a two layer cake, it didn’t taste great so I just mixed it together and make cake balls out of it and coated them with melted dark chocolate which was great.

  30. Oh My Word……I have been wishing for a recipe just like this!!!!! I grew up in StL….one of our favorites! I have so wanted my girls to try this and was not sure how that would ever happen, but now it can!!!!! The original recipe is supposed to be gooey……hence the name 🙂 The gooey throws people off big time, is it uncooked?, etc!—Bridget

  31. Can’t wait to try this. I am a huge fan of the St. Louis ooey gooey butter cake, and having a healthier option is terrific! Thank you!

  32. This looks delicious! My birthday is this month and I wanted to make cupcakes, do you think this recipe will work put in muffin tins instead of a cake pan? And can the psyllium husk powder be replaced with flaxseed meal?

  33. I live in St Louis and I too like the St Louis Gooey Butter Cake. I have a problem in that I am almond sensitive. What would you suggest as a substitute for the almond flour?

  34. Hi, this looks amazing!! Wondering how much sugar (or honey or agave) to add if I don’t use the stevia?? Any idea what the substitution ratio would be? Thanks!!~!!!!

  35. Just got back from St. Louis and watched my family eat homemade gooey butter. I’m dairy free and my brother is celiac. We are *SO* going to have this next Christmas…and of course we’ll have to try it out sooner.
    THANK YOU

  38. I just made this, with a few substitutions, and it was lovely while it was still warm. Not sure how it will be cold, but can’t wait to try. Here are the changes: In the filling I used actual butter (not substitute), one egg yolk (instead of the psyllium), and coconut oil in place of the grapeseed oil, also added more cashews because it seemed too runny after I processed everything. I also used 2 tsp tapioca (listed as optional). I didn’t change anything for the dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients, I used a combination of coconut butter and coconut oil instead of the butter sub, I left out the stevia, and used one real egg in place of the psyllium husk. After 25 min, the center was still a little jiggly, so I cooked it longer until the edges were browned, and the middle was set (10 more min). I found it warm, and mellow. Not overly sweet. I can see where some people are recommending to add raspberry jam. I would enjoy trying that. I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

  39. I just made this, with a few substitutions, and it was lovely while it was still warm. Not sure how it will be cold, but can’t wait to try. Here are the changes: In the filling I used actual butter (not substitute), one egg yolk (instead of the psyllium), and coconut oil in place of the grapeseed oil, also added more cashews because it seemed too runny after I processed everything. I also used 2 tsp tapioca (listed as optional). I didn’t change anything for the dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients, I used a combination of coconut butter and coconut oil instead of the butter sub, I left out the stevia, and used one real egg in place of the psyllium husk. After 25 min, the center was still a little jiggly, so I cooked it longer until the edges were browned, and the middle was set (10 more min). I found it warm, and mellow. Not overly sweet. I can see where some people are recommending to add raspberry jam. I would enjoy trying that. I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

  40. Hi! I was wondering if you could use regular flour instead of almond flour? My daughter is egg ad dairy allergic, but not celiac. Was hoping to make this for company tomorrow… Thanks! 🙂 sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try it!

  42. Hi!
    This looks delicious and i can’t wait to try it. I was wondering if you use canned coconut milk or regular coconut milk?

    I read your daughters book before Christmas and i am totally impressed. I love reading about your family. What a great MOM and family you have…Keep doing what you are doing because it works….xoxo

    • I always used canned coconut milk (or Aroy-D brand which is 100% coconut milk and comes in a carton). Coconut milk “beverage” is too thin for my recipes.

  43. I react to almonds and all the gluten free goodies seam to use it..can Brazil meal be used instead. ?

  45. Hi,
    I’m looking to try this. I’ve read the reviews.
    Did anyone use kerrigold butter? (that’s the only butter I can use since it’s grass fed).
    Would flaxseed meal work for psyllium or like the other viewer posted Chia Seed meal?