This is one of my all time favourite recipes to make. This Chocolate Nougat Gooey Butter Cake is a cake like layer covered in a soft buttery cheesecake, filled with chewy chocolate nougat.
Until a few years ago, I didn’t even realise a gooey butter cake was even a “thing”. I had never seen nor heard of this dessert and I have never seen it made or sold in New Zealand.
After seeing a butter cake being made on a TV show, and doing a bit of research I found that it is definitely an American dessert. One that doesn’t seem to have taken off here in little ole’ New Zealand. (Perhaps I will be the one to start this phenomenon, who knows?!)
It was around four years ago that I discovered this dessert and I am still none the wiser of what it actually is. Is it a cake as the name suggests? Is it a slice? Is it a cheesecake?… American friends, comment below if you know the answer. In the meantime I call it a slice.
Defining these aren’t the only trouble they have posed for me. Actually finding a recipe was quite a struggle. There are a lot of different variations but almost all of these use a boxed cake mix for the base and I didn’t want that. I felt like I was cheating. So I persisted in searching and experimenting and my persistence paid off. I found a base recipe and from there I made a few changes and the butter cake was born. (My version of it anyway).
If the name didn’t already give this away, this recipe contains butter. I would say quite a bit of butter but not over the top amounts. The original recipe contained quite a lot but I changed mine and managed to bring down the amount of butter without any flavour or texture sacrifice. The top part of the butter cake or as I call it, the cheesecake layer, contains melted butter which I had never seen used before in a “cheesecake” type mixture. All I’m saying about that is that it is awesome.
The base is like a light cake and the top is lovely rich, sweet, gooey, vanilla type cheesecake with chewy and gooey pieces of chocolate nougat pieces throughout.
Cake like layer covered in a soft buttery cheesecake, filled with chewy chocolate nougat.
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 100 g Butter, Melted (1/2 Cup)
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Tbsp. Milk
- 250 g Cream Cheese
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 100 g Butter, Melted (1/2 Cup)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups Icing Sugar
- 180 g Soft Chocolate Nougat (such as Mars Bars, milky ways, three musketeers)
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 9"x13" pan with baking paper.
- Place the sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl.
- Mix in the butter, egg and milk.
- Spread evenly in the pan and set to the side.
- Beat the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and butter together until smooth and creamy.
- With the beater on, add the icing sugar and beat until all incorporated.
- Stir in the chopped Mars Bars and pour over the cake layer.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is lightly golden but the middle is still slightly wobbly.
- Allow it to cool completely and I recommend allowing it to set in the fridge before slicing.
- If you don't mind it being a bit gooey, just let it come to room temperature before serving
No matter which way you slice it, this cake/slice/cheesecake, is awesome, delicious and one of my favourites. This is one recipe you will definitely want to try!
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