how2heroes » Gooey Butter Cake

Dessert & Baked Goods » Gooey Butter Cake

Common lore is that this St. Louis specialty came about as a bakery accident. The first gooey butter cakes were yeast cakes with a thick buttery glaze, but now most home cooks use a yellow cake mix and cream cheese topping. Jeff Gavornik grew up loving the box-mix kind, but developed his own recipe, with a moist yellow cake and rich, but not-too-sweet, gooey buttery topping. It'll slice up into 24 portions, so it's a great dessert for any get-together, cookout, party, or appreciative office staff.

Print Recipe

Serves 24

Ingredients

Cake Batter

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour 
½ cup oat flour 
1½ tsp baking powder 
½ tsp kosher salt 
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp amaretto (optional)
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
 ⅔ cup sugar 
3 large eggs

Gooey Butter Topping

12 tbsp (1½ sticks) butter, melted, still warm but not hot
2½ tsp vanilla extract 
3 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
2 tbsp water
½ tsp kosher salt
 1½ cups sugar
 1 large egg
1 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Optional for Serving

confectioners sugar
fresh berries

Equipment

9" x 13" baking dish
stand mixer with paddle attachment

How-to

Mix Batter

Heat oven to 370º
Grease a 9" x 13" pan with butter
Combine the two flours, baking powder and salt (dry ingredients) in one bowl, and the milk, vanilla and optional amaretto (wet ingredients) in another
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream butter and sugar
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs
Next, alternately add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry, mixing on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition
Transfer batter to another bowl and set aside
Scrape down the mixing bowl and beaters, but do not worry about cleaning them for the next step, which is making the topping

Make Topping & Bake

Melt the butter. Assure that it is warm but not too hot before adding to the other ingredients
In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine melted butter, sugar, honey, water, vanilla and salt and mix until smooth
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg
Scrape down the sides of bowl again and add flour, mixing until just combined
Pour cake batter into the prepared baking dish and level out. Pour topping evenly over the cake and use an offset spatula to gently spread it smooth
Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes (rotating the pan at 15 minutes) or until golden around edges and in spots around the top. The cake will rise and fall in waves and will still be liquid in the center when done
Allow to cool in pan completely before slicing (this is very important, or the layers will not stay intact)

Serving Suggestion - When cake has cooled, slice and serve with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar and fresh berries