These gooey butter cakes with raspberry sauce are a melt in your mouth, warm butter cake topped with a sweet raspberry sauce. They're my version of the popular ones at Mastro's or Nick's.
Butter cakes with raspberry sauce have always been a favorite of mine every time I eat at Mastro's or Nick's, or I might even say they're the reason that I choose to eat at those restaurants. These butter cakes are very simple to make, with only a few ingredients, but they will wow anyone you serve them to!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: These cakes only need a few ingredients and a few steps to make.
- Melts in Your Mouth: The gooey center of these cakes literally melts in your mouth.
- Just Like Mastro's and Nicks: They taste just like the ones you order in a restaurant.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: I always use salted butter, but you can also use unsalted.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese to help these cakes stay extra moist.
- Vanilla Paste: Using paste instead of extract will give these cakes the restaurant quality with a strong vanilla flavor and little flecks of vanilla bean.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh so you get the rise in your cakes.
- Turbinado Sugar: Coating your ramekins in turbinado sugar will give your cake a nice exterior crunch.
- Raspberries: I prefer using frozen because they're a little juicier, but you can also use fresh.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 325. Spray four 6 oz oven safe ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle the bottoms and sides with turbinado sugar, set aside.
- Step 2: In a medium sized bowl beat together butter and cream cheese with a paddle attachment or electric beaters until completely smooth. Add in sugar, egg and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes until light in color.
- Step 3: Slowly mix in baking powder, salt and flour, being careful not to over mix, followed by buttermilk.
- Step 4: Scoop 6 tablespoons of batter into each sugared ramekin, or divide evenly among the four ramekins. Smooth out batter.
- Step 5: In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Mix in egg yolk.
- Step 6: Scoop 2 tablespoons of mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Step 7: Place 4 ramekins on a cookie sheet. Bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a light golden brown along the outside. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 8: While butter cakes are baking you can make the raspberry sauce. Add raspberries, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing raspberries while they cook. Once it begins to boil, boil for one minute.
- Step 9: Remove the sauce from heat. Strain the seeds through a mesh strainer and set aside to thicken and cool.
- Step 10: Turn the cake ramekin over onto a plate. Top with ice cream and raspberry sauce.
Expert Baking Tips
- Using room temperature ingredients will help your cake batter to mix properly, and will also help your cake to achieve it's highest rise.
- Using the turbinado sugar in the ramekin will give the cake a little bit of a crunch on the outside. Don't skip this part.. it's so good!
- I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
FAQ
Yes, just sun gluten free 1:1 flour in and everything else will remain the same.
Yes, if doubling you can use one whole egg in the cream cheese mixture instead of 2 egg yolks.
You may not have sprayed your baking dishes well enough, or you may have overcooked the cakes slightly. To help release cakes, run a butter knife around the outside of the cakes before turning over.
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Storing & Freezing
Butter cakes may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days. The raspberry sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
These cakes freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze individual cakes in ziplock bags for an easy and quick dessert.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Butter Cakes with Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- ½ cup (113.5 g) salted butter room temperature
- 1 oz (28.35 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) vanilla paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ⅔ cup (93 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (60 g) buttermilk room temperature
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 2 oz (56.7 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ cup (50 g) turbinado sugar for sprinkling in ramekins
Raspberry Sauce
- 4 oz frozen raspberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Spray four 6 oz oven safe ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle the bottoms and sides with turbinado sugar, set aside.
Cake Batter
- In a medium sized bowl beat together butter and cream cheese with a paddle attachment or electric beaters until completely smooth. Add in sugar, egg and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes until light in color.
- Slowly mix in baking powder, salt and flour, being careful not to over mix, followed by buttermilk.
- Scoop 6 tablespoons of batter into each sugared ramekin, or divide evenly among the four ramekins. Smooth out batter.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Mix in egg yolk.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Place 4 ramekins on a cookie sheet. Bake for 28-35 minutes, or until light golden brown along the outside. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Raspberry Sauce
- While butter cakes are baking you can make the raspberry sauce. Add raspberries, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing raspberries while they cook. Once it begins to boil, boil for one minute.
- Remove the sauce from heat. Strain the seeds through a mesh strainer and set aside to thicken and cool.
- Turn the cake ramekin over onto a plate. Top with ice cream and raspberry sauce.
We have been to mastros several times and it’s one of my family’s favorite desserts! I’ve tried several “copycat” recipes and have not found a winner until now!! You nailed it!! I made 2 adjustments for elevation. Increased flour 1-2 tablespoons and decreased baking powder to 2/3 tsp. So so good!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 my family will be so happy!! Thank you!!
I made these for Father’s Day and they were the hugest hit!!! So moist with the crunchy sugar crust. We died and went to heaven! Home run Brooke!
So delicious!! This was so good and came out perfectly for our Father’s Day dessert! The sugar crust on the outside was so good! Another fantastic recipe!
Is it possible to make the batter and cream cheese mixture beforehand and refrigerate?? Or put the recipe together in ramekins and cook a day or two later? Thanks so much!
Yes, you could definitely prep and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
Made these and followed your instructions to a tee. They were absolutely delish ❤️
If I make these ahead, how would you reheat?
Thank you.
I have just thrown them in the microwave to reheat, or you can do the oven at 300 for a few minutes.
How could I convert this to one large cake?
I'm sorry, I made this to be small individual cakes so I don't think it would work correctly for one large one.
I happened to be scrolling Instagram and seen these…decided to make them tonight for New Year’s Eve and WOWWWWW!
These are insanely delicious and so simple and the ingredients were simple and this was a mindblowingly good dessert! I would say the turbinado sugar is necessary for this recipe, the crust on this cake was just perfectly chewy and sweet!
I subbed strawberry for raspberry and it was fantastic!
Will be making again !
Made this for NYE… and obsessed. Husband rated this higher than he has most meals I’ve him. Instructions were great and honestly this is soo amazing and well balanced. Just make it!!
I'm so happy it was a success! Thank you so much! Happy New year!
These lil cakes pack a punch of flavor! So delicious and a fantastic dupe of B&B Butchers (TX) Berry Butter Cake 🥰. Heaven!
If I don't have ramekins, what else can I use?
You could make them smaller with a muffin tin. You will also need to decrease the baking time.
Made tonight and this recipe is a keeper. Served with vanilla gelato and berry sauce. As mentioned, the sugary crust adds the best crunch. THANK YOU! Delicious.
I love butter cake and I am so happy I finally got around to baking these! Followed the instructions, they were so easy and so delicious! I love the raspberry sauce, such a yummy addition.
I need to 4x this recipe to make it for my family. Should I increase the baking time? So excited to try it, it sounds so delicious!
Yes, you will probably need to add a few extra minutes if they're all in there together.
I’m making these for a NYE party tomorrow!! Anyway to bake at home and take to the party? Can you warm the cakes prior to serving? Ideas? Thanks!!
It’s really true. So much like Mastro’s Butter Cake. I’ve been looking for a copycat since culinary school. This is amazing!
Can you use passion fruit instead of raspberries?
I haven't tried, but I don't see why not.
Could these be made in small springform pans instead of ramekins?
Yes, but if they're a different size you might need to bake less/more depending.
Delicious! I made them according to the recipe and they turned out perfectly. I did double the raspberry sauce recipe because I wanted more sauce. I will be making this again!
Thank you so much!! And definitely can't go wrong with more sauce!
Brooke, I am making your recipe today for family dinner dessert. This will be my fifth time making it. It never disappoints and is my go to when I want to make a non-chocolate showstopper. (I love chocolate but not everyone in my family feels the same). Anyway, just wanted to give you a FIVESTAR review and say thanks for sharing your goodness!
Thank you Sharon!! This makes me soooo happy!
Very easy to follow recipe. I made this for dessert and it was one of the best cakes weI’ve had in a while. I will make this over and over. It is a crowd pleaser.
This is one of the best desserts I have ever made.
Can I make this in a 6 inch springform pan?
I haven't tried, so I'm not sure.
We made these last night and out of pure laziness decided to spray and sugar a 9x13 pan and tripled the original recipe (so 12 servings). Baked it same temp for about 12-14 minutes longer than specified but started checking every four or five minutes. It was a HUGE hit. Absolutely delish. Side note we are drowning in peaches from our overachieving tree in the yard so we used peaches instead of raspberries. Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️