Gluten-Free French Butter Cake

Are you looking for a delicious, indulgent dessert recipe? This gluten-free French butter cake is exactly that!

If you know me, you know that I rarely venture into the territory of box-mixes – I just like cooking from scratch so much!

But there was this one French Butter Cake recipe that mom found years and years ago, back in the day when all us kids still lived at home.

And it. was. good. The whole family fell head over heals for it.

The butter, the gooey filling, the cake bottom. There wasn’t a crumb left after we finished with it – not a hard feat when you’re a family of ten, but still.

We loved it!

Of course, the whole recipe was created around the use of a box of yellow cake mix.

The advantage to that of course is that cake mix makes it all very fast and easy.

The disadvantage is that it’s hard to find a gluten-free cake mix that you can use cup for cup in a recipe like that.

So, I was in Walmart last week, and bought a Pillsbury cake mix – hey, somebody’s gotta do the research 😉 plus, you can save on Pillsbury with Ibotta so it’s not such a splurge. If you’re not interested in buying a box mix, go ahead and make homemade gluten-free cake mix. It works like a charm too!

This cake is perfection on a plate. Every time we make it, it’s just so good.

While I’m usually a homemade cake mix  fan, I have to say I loved how Pillsbury made it so easy to get the kids involved. “open it up and dump it in” is Garrett’s favorite kind of measuring method. 😉

It’s so fun how the kids want to be involved in everything we do. Even if it’s just holding a reflector so mommy can take pictures.

Although that may be because I promised him a bite afterward.

I like to think my kids will have the same kind of warm memories of helping mama bake in the kitchen, and the deliciousness of the fruit of our labors!

Gluten-free French Butter Cake

Tweaks you can make:

• Use a flavored cake mix for different gooey butter cake flavors. I love chocolate gooey butter cake (that recipe is from scratch btw). And strawberry is pretty awesome too!
• Use a slightly smaller pan for thicker layers. I love a thick, gooey layer, so I sometimes use my 8×11 inch baking pan instead of 9×13, and bake it for about 5 minutes longer.
• Add some fresh berry toppings! The relatively richness of this cake makes it a great pairing for the lighter feel and flavor of fresh berries. My favorites are strawberries, and blackberries.
• You can also make it the day before you need it. This cake is a champ for staying fresh overnight. Just make sure you cover it with a flour sack towel!

Gluten-Free French Butter Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 12 reviews

A buttery cake crust, with a gooey cream cheese filling.

• Author: Elise
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Bottom layer:
• 1 Pillsbury Gluten-Free yellow Cake Mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• Top layer:
• 1, 8oz. block of cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together first three ingredients (cake mix, butter, and 2 eggs) until completely incorporated.
4. In a second large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
5. Press cake mix mixture into prepared baking dish.
6. Pour cream cheese mixture on top, and spread evenly.
7. Bake in center of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until cake no longer jiggles when moved (the toothpick test won’t work on this cake!)
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
9. Once cake is cool, cut into squares and serve.
10. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
11. Enjoy!

Keywords: gluten-free french butter cake