Mastro’s Butter Cake Recipe (Warm, Gooey & Restaurant-Style)

Mastro’s famous Warm Butter Cake is a legendary dessert for a reason—moist, dense, and rich with buttery vanilla flavor, slightly crisp edges, and a molten-like center. This copycat recipe recreates the indulgent steakhouse favorite at home, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the full experience.

Ingredients

• For the Cake Batter:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (divided: ½ cup for creaming + ½ cup melted)
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• For the Cream Cheese Layer:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Toppings:
• Powdered sugar (for dusting)
• Vanilla ice cream
• Fresh berries (optional)
• Caramel sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat Oven
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease 6 ramekins or a 9-inch springform pan. Dust with sugar for a caramelized crust.
3. Make Cream Cheese Layer
4. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
5. Make Cake Batter
6. In a large bowl, cream ½ cup softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Stir in vanilla and sour cream.
7. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry mix to wet, then mix in the remaining ½ cup melted butter until smooth.
8. Assemble Cakes
9. Pour cake batter into ramekins until ⅔ full. Spoon 1–2 tbsp of cream cheese filling into the center of each and gently swirl.
10. Bake
11. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until golden on top and slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
12. Serve Warm
13. Invert cakes onto plates, dust with powdered sugar, and top with vanilla ice cream and caramel if desired.