Gooey Butter Cake is a super-rich, deliciously sweet dessert hailing from St. Louis. With only six ingredients, this is super easy to make and great to bring to a party or potluck.
Preheat oven to 350 ℉. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
Empty cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter and one egg.
Press the dough mixture into the casserole dish, evenly spreading out with a rubber spatula or clean fingers. (It should be slightly sticky).
In a large bowl, mix together two eggs, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Beat by hand or with an electric mixture until it is smooth and there are no lumps, about 3 minutes.
Pour over top of the pressed dough and evenly spread with a rubber spatula.
Place a sheet pan underneath the dish in the oven. (It can rise up and sometimes spill when baking). Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until the top gets slightly golden brown crust.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, about an hour. Do not be tempted to cut into it early- it will be a mess. The cake will 'sink' slightly while cooling, which is normal.
Once cool, dust with a little powdered sugar and cut into squares. Store in a container at room temperature.