This Pistachio Cream Gooey Butter Cake is rich, creamy, and loaded with nutty pistachio flavor that melts right into a buttery vanilla base. It’s chewy on the edges, jiggly in the center, and dangerously easy to devour.
Why You'll Love It
Real talk, this is the kind of dessert that makes you do a lil happy dance shimmy after you take the first bite.
Imagine the classic gooey butter cake you grew up drooling over—but now it's got a nutty little pistachio cream glow-up.
The crust is made from yellow cake mix (yep, we're taking some shortcuts here), so it’s got that soft, chewy, buttery base that hugs all the creamy filling perfectly.
And let’s talk about that pistachio cream—oooh mahh gawd. It brings the richness of roasted pistachios but with a slightly sweet, crunchy, creamy twist.
If you've never had it before, it’s sweet, salty, creamy and a little crunchy. While also being ridiculously delicious. Honestly, it seems a little fancy but it’s wildly impressive for how little effort it actually takes.
One bowl, one pan, one mixer —and boom, you’ve got a bakery-level treat that tastes like a Southern springtime treat met a fancy italian baker and kissed.
Whether you're making this for brunch, dessert, or a late-night fridge raid, it’s got that buttery, custardy, gooey texture with a salty-sweet crunch from the pistachio cream and flaky salt that hits just right.
And based on my recipe testing, you'll want to trust me on this one - Go ahead and hide a few slices for yourself before it disappears.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the simple ingredients that you'll need to make this pistachio gooey butter cake. And yes, you could totally use a homemade cake mix, but I'm a short cut kind of girly so we're going that route.
Yellow Cake Mix: Use any brand you love—just make sure it’s a standard 13.25 oz box. I honestly love the Dolly Parton brand that I found at Walmart but Duncan Hines is a classic and works too. White cake mix also works if that's the only thing you have.
Salted Butter: Adds richness and depth. Unsalted works too—just toss in a pinch more salt to make up for it.
Eggs: You'll need three total—one for the crust, two for the filling. I don't have any recommendations for substitutions in this recipe.
Cream Cheese: Make sure it’s room temp so it blends like a dream.
Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the filling and gives it that signature gooey texture.
Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and enhances all the other flavors. You could also swap it for pistachio extract if you wanted to be extra.
Pistachio Cream: This glorious stuff is the star of the show. You can find pistachio cream at most grocer stores these days (hello publix!), specialty stores or on amazon —sub almond butter or tahini if you're in a pinch (but pistachio is IT).
Flaky Salt: That final touch of fancy. Maldon is my go-to, but any large-flake salt will do.
How to Make Gooey Butter Cake with Pistachio
Here are the step-by-step instructions for this Pistachio Gooey Butter Cake. It's so easy to make and it's such a great dessert for the kids to help with.
PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set it to 350°F and line a baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal.
MAKE THE CRUST: In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, melted butter, and one egg with a hand mixer until combined—about 2 minutes. Press that buttery goodness into the bottom of the dish to form the crust. It does not have to be perfectly even by any meals - don't let it stress you out!
WIPE THE BOWL: You don’t even have to get out the dish soap — just give it a quick wipe with a kitchen towel or paper towel.
MAKE THE FILLING: Add the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter to the bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Then carefully mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until it’s luscious and spreadable.
ADD THE FILLING: Pour that creamy dream over the crust in the baking dish.
SWIRL IN THE PISTACHIO BUTTER: Dollop spoonfuls of pistachio butter all over the top and use a pointy knife or toothpick to swirl it in. Think abstract swirly girl art.
BAKE: Bake for 30–35 minutes. The edges should be set and golden while slightly pulling away from the pan. The center should still have a little jiggle when you shake the pan gently.
COOL & SALT: Let it cool so it firms up a bit—this helps you cut clean squares. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky salt to make it pop before serving.
What to Serve with it?
Here are a few of my favorite things to serve with this Pistachio Cream Gooey Butter Cake!
- Whipped Brie Cheese Dip Appetizer with Honey & Fig Jam
- Italian Sliders on Pretzel Buns
- Tortilla Pizza with Pepperoni
- Easy Fried Pickle Dip Recipe with White Cheddar(Opens in a new browser tab)
- Lazy Lasagna using Ravioli
Recipe
Pistachio Cream Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- ½ cup Salted Butter melted
- 1 large Egg
For the Filling:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup Salted Butter melted
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ cup Pistachio Cream
- ½ teaspoon Flaky Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the cake mix, melted butter, and egg until combined—about 2 minutes. Press into the bottom of the parchment paper-lined baking dish.
- Wipe out that same bowl (doesn’t have to be all the way clean!). Add the cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and melted butter and use a hand mixer to beat it until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, cup by cup, until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Add to the baking dish then add spoonfuls of the pistachio butter all over the top of the filling and swirl gently with a knife to create a cute organic pattern - making sure to stay on the surface layer.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the edges are set and starting to turn golden brown but the center is still jiggly.
- Let cool and stiffen slightly before cutting into squares.
- Sprinkle with flaky salt before serving.
MacKenzie Smith says
We've been bringing these to all of our get togethers recently and everyone is OBSESSED! Hope ya'll like them just as much as we do!!