Craving a creamy, dreamy, frozen treat? This gooey butter cake ice cream recipe combines two of my favorite nostalgic Midwestern desserts from childhood. Full of golden cake chunks, its rich buttery flavor simply can’t be beat.
If you’ve been around my blog for long, you know I love a good nostalgic recipe like homemade banana ice cream, homemade Oreo ice cream, strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and homemade strawberry ice cream. Enter the most wonderfully rich and creamy gooey butter cake dessert ever.
As I’ve mentioned before, growing up in St. Louis for part of my childhood, St. Louis style gooey butter cake was a staple dessert. My mom loved making this rich buttery cake, likely because of how easy and full of rich buttery flavor it is.
I do wish she could be here to taste this homemade gooey butter cake ice cream, because I know my ice cream lovin’ mama would absolutely love it, which is why I know you will too.
What It Is and Why You’ll Love It
I think you can already guess what gooey butter cake ice cream is, but my recipe is a little bit different in that I actually use real gooey butter cake (not just a cake mix and cream cheese) in the ice cream.
- This cake-based ice cream has a chunky texture. You’ll actually make a gooey butter cake (or use a store bought cake) to use in the ice cream, and your gooey butter cake ice cream with cake pieces will actually taste like gooey butter cake.
- I know a lot of recipes use a cake mix and cream cheese to achieve the flavor they want, but I just wasn’t sure about this, especially since I prefer to make things gluten-free and I was afraid a gluten-free cake mix might make for a very grainy ice cream. So I went the full cake route when developing this recipe.
- This scoopable dessert is full of rich buttery flavor. One of the ways you’ll achieve a really rich flavor is you’ll blend up part of the cake with the cream before mixing and churning the ice cream.
- This vintage-inspired treat makes a wonderful special occasion dessert.
- You won’t use any eggs or sweetened condensed milk in the actual ice cream… There’s just no need. I used this vanilla ice cream base, with real ingredients, as a starting point for this recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes
Gather your Ingredients…
Gooey Butter Cake Ingredients –
Keep in mind you will have cake left over, so you can cut this recipe in half if you so desire. Personally, my guys love gooey butter cake, so I just make a whole recipe, and that way they can enjoy it; cuz it really is a treat, seeing as we don’t make it very often.
- Salted Butter – I recommend using real butter, no margarine, as margarine will change the texture of the finished dessert.
- Large Eggs – While you’ll need eggs for the cake part of the recipe, you won’t need them for the ice cream itself.
- Yellow Cake Mix – You can use a regular cake mix or a gluten-free cake mix; either one works. I know, because I cook completely gluten-free myself.
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream Ingredients –
- Heavy Cream – Otherwise known as heavy whipping cream.
- Gooey Butter Cake – You can bake the cake yourself, with the ingredients listed above, or you can use a store bought cake… Totally up to you.
- Whole Milk
- Cane Sugar – You can also use granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract
- Sea Salt – This one ingredient makes all the difference in the world when it comes to flavor in your ice creams.
How to Make Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream at Home
Making indulgent summer desserts like this one requires a few steps. If you decide to buy a gooey butter cake from your local grocery store bakery, just skip the steps for how to make the cake. Ready?
Make Gooey Butter Cake
Start by pre-heating the oven to 350° F.
- Using a mixer, beat 2 eggs together with the melted butter.
- Add the cake mix to the butter mixture, and mix well.
- Spread the mixture in an un-greased 9×13 cake pan.
- In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese all by itself.
- Then add in the remaining 2 eggs and powdered sugar with the cream cheese.
- Mix together well ’til the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the crust as a second layer to the cake.
- Bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes, or ’til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out barely gooey. Remove the cake from the oven, and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar; then let it cool completely.
Make Gooey Butter Ice Cream
- In a blender, blend together the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of gooey butter cake. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar ’til the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk the blended cream and cake mixture, vanilla extract, and sea salt into the milk mixture.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen freezer bowl with the churn paddle in place. Place the cover on top, and freeze the ice cream ’til it thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
- In the last 2-3 minutes of freezing, slowly add 1 cup of cold diced gooey butter cake.
- When the ice cream has a soft, creamy texture, turn off the machine, and scoop the soft-serve ice cream into an airtight container, and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight, to firm up more. Then serve when ready.
While you can eat the ice cream while it has soft serve consistency, I highly recommend waiting ’til it’s a more scoopable dessert before digging in. Then you can put it on a cone, or serve it in a bowl, whichever is your preference!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
While you can whisk the ice cream to mix it and freeze it yourself in a loaf pan or larger pan, it’s much easier to make and freeze this ice cream, without a lot of monitoring and extra mixing, using an ice cream maker. So I would definitely recommend an ice cream maker to make this recipe. I use this 2-qt. ice cream maker, and it’s been wonderful.
Absolutely! If you’re short on time, a store-bought gooey butter cake will work just fine. Just follow the steps for making the ice cream, and when it’s time, cube or crumble it and gently fold it into your ice cream base.
Let the cake cool completely before adding it to the ice cream. I also recommend placing the cake chunks in the freezer while you make and churn the ice cream; that way they’re already cold or pre-frozen before they ever go into the ice cream. Lastly, don’t add the cake pieces ’til the last 2-3 minutes of churn time. The fact that you’re going to put this ice cream straight into the freezer pretty much ensures you won’t have soggy cake chunks.
For best results, freeze the ice cream for at least 4–6 hours, or overnight, until firm. If you’re using an ice cream maker, the churn time is usually 20–30 minutes, followed by freezer time to fully set.
Store your gooey butter cake frozen dessert in an airtight container in the freezer. If you plan to savor your ice cream over time, you might press a layer of parchment or wax paper on top of the container before sealing the lid to help prevent ice crystals and freezer burn.
More Nostalgic Summer Desserts
Of course, you can make these indulgent summer desserts anytime, but who doesn’t love a little frozen goodness especially in the summertime?
- Homemade vanilla ice cream
- Butterfinger ice cream
- Gluten-free ice cream sandwiches
- Homemade chocolate ice cream
- Mint Oreo ice cream
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream
Ingredients
Gooey Butter Cake –
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 4 large eggs
- 15 ounces yellow cake mix
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
Ice Cream –
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup gooey butter cake
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup gooey butter cake diced and cooled (set in freezer while making ice cream)
Instructions
Gooey Butter Cake –
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
- Beat 2 eggs together with the melted butter.
- Add the cake mix to the butter mixture, and mix well.
- Spread the mixture in an un-greased 9×13 cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese all by itself.
- Then add in the remaining 2 eggs and powdered sugar with the cream cheese, and mix together well 'til the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the crust as a second layer to the cake.
- Bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes, or 'til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out barely gooey.
- Remove the cake from the oven, and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar; then let it cool completely.*
Ice Cream –
- In a blender, blend together the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of gooey butter cake. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar 'til the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk the blended cream and cake mixture, vanilla extract, and sea salt into the milk mixture.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen freezer bowl* with the churn paddle in place.
- Place the cover on top, and freeze the ice cream 'til it thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
- In the last 2-3 minutes of freezing, slowly add 1 cup of cold diced gooey butter cake.
- When the ice cream has a soft, creamy texture, turn off the machine, and scoop the soft-serve ice cream into an airtight container, and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight, to firm up more. Then serve when ready.
This ice cream is RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS!!! I’ve made it twice already to give to friends and everyone has just gone gaga over it. Make it on repeat friends!
Thank you so much, Kelly!!!