Funfetti Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Sometimes the universe aligns to bring something new and that’s how this funfetti ooey gooey butter cake was born. I happened to see a recipe for a plush confetti cake and a gooey butter cake at the same time and I was sold. I needed to have both asap.

The confetti cake portion is vegan (!) and becomes borderline too moist (very similar to a tres leches cake) with the gooey butter topping. The almond-vanilla scented cake was a happy accident as the original recipe called for ⅛ th of a teaspoon of almond extract. My hand unexpectedly had a nervous tremor (probably from trying to measure out a tiny fraction) and I put a bit more, I’m guessing ½ – 1 teaspoon. The end result is an almond-vanilla scented cake that I think cuts the cloying sweetness of most gooey butter cakes. 

It feeds a crowd and is a perfect cake to bake for celebrations. I baked to celebrate me (yay!) on my birthday. 🙂

Funfetti Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients:

For the Funfetti Cake Layer:

1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
⅗ c. granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt (I use diamond kosher)
1 c. unsweetened non-dairy milk
⅓ c. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
½ – 1 tsp. almond extract
⅓ c. rainbow sprinkles

For the Ooey Gooey Layer:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. butter, room temperature
12 oz. powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the ingredients for the funfetti cake. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large measuring cup (I like that it has a spout) or a medium bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, oil, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract. Set aside.*
4. Start the ooey gooey layer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and salt. Mix on medium speed until combined.
5. Turn the speed to low and add the powdered sugar in slowly to minimize the sugar dust.
6. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, turn up the speed to medium-high and mix until the mixture is fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
8. Turn the speed of the stand mixer to low and add the egg mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Set aside.
9. Assemble the funfetti cake. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
10. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
11. Pour the funfetti cake batter over the prepared 9×13-inch baking pan. Spread evenly.
12. Use a spatula to evenly dollop the gooey layer over the cake batter. Smooth evenly.
13. Bake the cake about 35-45 minutes, until the top layer is toasted golden brown and the cake is cooked through.
14. Let the cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and serving.*

I delay combining the funfetti cake ingredients to prevent the baking powder from reacting prematurely.

I prefer to serve the cake cold (it helps the cake keep its shape) with hot, unsweetened black coffee.