California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe (Copycat Version)

This legendary butter cake is a decadent, melt-in-your-mouth dessert with a soft, gooey center and a lightly crisp golden crust. Served warm and often topped with vanilla ice cream, it's a must-make for special occasions or indulgent cravings.

Ingredients

• For the Cream Cheese Layer (gooey top):
• 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the Cake Base:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat Oven:
2. Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or several ramekins with butter and dust lightly with sugar.
3. Prepare Cake Base:
4. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
6. Make Cream Cheese Layer:
7. In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix until creamy and slightly thick. Pour this over the cake batter layer.
8. Bake:
9. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is just set (it should jiggle slightly). Do not overbake — the gooey center is key.
10. Cool & Serve:
11. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh berries if desired.