This California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe is such a tasty, sweet dessert! This butter cake is dense, buttery, moist, and has a perfect caramelized top. I love a good copycat recipe, don’t you?!
I sized this warm butter cake recipe down to make four single servings cakes so you don’t have to share! You can make these butter cakes in a ramekin or small springform pans. I don’t have small springform pans, so I used ramekins.
This cpk butter cake recipe is crazy easy to make, even for beginners!
Are there any other copycat recipes you would like to see? Leave a comment in the comment section on the bottom of the post. I would love to hear what you are thinking!
Alright, let’s get baking!
Watch the video!
Tools & Equipment to make this California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe
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- Measuring cups, measuring spoons or kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Medium small bowl
- Cookie pan
- Ramekins or small springform pan
How to make California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe
Before making this California Pizza Kitchen copycat butter cake recipe, pull out your eggs, cream cheese and butter ahead of time so that it can come to room temperature.
Heat oven to 325°F/ 163°C. Spray nonstick cooking spray to the bottom and sides of the pan or ramekin. Cut down and place parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the cake pan or ramekin. This will help to release the cake and avoid sticking to the bottom. Set aside.
We’ll make the cake batter first.
Using either a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, cream together two sticks of butter, 2 ounces cream cheese, and granulated sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
Add in the egg and incorporate well.
Sprinkle the salt on top of the wet mixture, and half of the 3/4 cups of flour. I used a spatula to mix the dry ingredients in because the batter is quite light, but you can use your mixer if you’d like.
Add the second half of the all-purpose flour and continue to mix until incorporated, but be sure not to overmix.
Next, you can stir in the vanilla, and set the cake batter aside.
Pull out your small mixing bowl and cream together the cream cheese and granulated sugar.
Add in half of an egg. To do this, you can whisk the whole egg into a separate bowl. Then, use a kitchen scale to split the egg in half by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale you can just double the ingredients for the top layer and only use half of it for the cakes.
You will also add in 3/4 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix well. Set bowl aside.
Finally, Pour your cake batter into your four ramekins, about a cup per ramekin. Don’t let it fill too high because the cake does rise a bit. Level out the top of the cake batter.
Then, pull out the cheesecake layer mixture and split it between the four ramekins. Pour cream cheese mixture or use a spoon to spread the mixture over the entire top. I found it to be 2-3 tablespoons per ramekin.
Place the ramekins on a cookie pan and place them on the middle rack of your oven.
Allow the California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cakes to bake for 55-65 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes to see if it is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it is done. If it has clumps, add additional baking time until it comes out clean.
Once your cakes come out of the oven you can allow them to cool on a cooling rack. While they are still warm, run a knife around the edges of the ramekin or pan to release the cake.
Once cool, you can pull out the warm butter cakes. I just tipped the ramekin upside-down in my hand and it immediately released. I had tried to remove it from the ramekin while it was still warm by turning it over onto a plate, but it smooshed the top of the cake flat so it didn’t look very pretty on top, so just have patience and allow it to cool.
CPK serves their butter cakes warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can warm them in the microwave for about 40 seconds before topping them with ice cream.
They’re so good, you’re going to want to make them. I promise, your entire family will love them!
You will also love these sweet dessert recipes:
- Italian Almond Cake Recipe
- Quick & Easy Apple Crisp
- Zabaglione Classic Italian Dessert
- Soft & Chewy Potbelly Sugar Cookies
- Banana Bread
- Red Velvet Swiss Roll
- Dutch Apple Pie
California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 4 cakes 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake Recipe is such a tasty, sweet dessert! This butter cake is dense, sweet, buttery, moist, and has a perfect caramelized top. I love a good copycat recipe, don’t you?!
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 cup (215 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup +2 tablespoons (223 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Layer (top layer)
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (33 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 egg (see notes on how to use half an egg, or double the recipe for the top layer and use half), room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Before making this recipe, pull out your eggs, cream cheese, and butter ahead of time so that it can come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 163°C. Spray nonstick cooking spray to the inside and bottom of your ramekin. Cut down and place parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the ramekin. This will help to release the cake and avoid sticking to the bottom. Set aside.
Cake Batter
- Using either a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream together the unsalted butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add in the egg and incorporate well.
- Sprinkle the salt on top of the wet mixture, and half of the flour. I used a spatula to mix the dry ingredients in because the batter is quite light, but you can use your mixer if you’d like.
- Add the second half of the all-purpose flour and continue to mix until incorporated, but be sure not to overmix.
- Next, you can stir in the vanilla, and set the cake batter aside.
Cheesecake Layer (top layer)
- Cream together the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a small mixing bowl.
- Add in half of an egg. To do this, you can whisk the egg into a separate bowl. Use a kitchen scale to split the egg in half by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale you can just double the ingredients for the top layer and only use half of it for the cakes.
- You will also add in the vanilla extract and mix well. Set bowl aside.
Assemble
- Take your cake batter out and split the batter between your four ramekins, about a cup per ramekin. Don’t let it fill too high because the cake does rise a bit. Level out the top of the cake batter.
- Then, pull out the top layer batter and split it between the four ramekins. Use a spoon to spread the mixture over the entire top. I found it to be 2-3 tablespoons per ramekin.
- Place the ramekins on a cookie pan and place them on the middle rack of your oven.
- Allow the California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cakes to bake for 55-65 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes to see if it is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it is done. If it has clumps, add additional baking time until it comes out clean.
- Once your cakes come out of the oven you can allow them to cool on a baking rack. While they are still warm, run a knife around the edges of the ramekin or pan to release the cake.
- Once cool, you can pull out the warm butter cakes. I just tipped the ramekin upside-down in my hand and it immediately released. I had tried to remove it from the ramekin while it was still warm by turning it over onto a plate, but it smooshed the top of the cake flat so it didn’t look very pretty on top, so just have patience and allow it to cool.
Notes
- To use half an egg, whisk the egg into a separate bowl. Use a kitchen scale to split the egg in half by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale you can just double the ingredients for the top layer and only use half of it for the cakes.
- CPK serves their butter cakes warm with vanilla ice cream. You can warm them in the microwave for about 40 seconds before topping them with ice cream.
- Category: cakes
- Method: bake
Keywords: california pizza kitchen butter cakes, cpk butter cakes recipe
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Jesslyn
This recipe is delicious! I make it for my grandchildren all the time, they love it and always ask Nana Jess for more.
★★★★★
Baishakhi
It looks delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.