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Gooey Butter Cake

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Gooey Butter Cake – the famous dessert from St. Louis, made from scratch right in your kitchen! You will love this rich and delicious treat!

gooey butter cake 1 Gooey Butter Cake

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

This cake, ladies and gentlemen, is one of those cakes you just have to try at least once in your life. It’s famous for the name and the texture. And it’s absolutely delicious. How can it not be with words like “gooey” and “butter” in the name? 🙂

There is a yeast-free version of this cake and a lot of dispute of to which one is the original St.Louis version. I wanted to try the yeast-cake crust just because I was curious how will the cake bake. The bottom baked into a perfect cake-y base for the gooey buttery sweet topping.

gooey butter cake 5 Gooey Butter Cake

Once the cake cools completely, the topping sets a bit so if you are like me you may want to pop the plate into the microwave for few seconds to warm it up slightly.

MORE MUST-MAKE CAKE RECIPES:

New York Style Crumb Cake

Texas Sheet Cake

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Cranberry Bliss Bars

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE RECIPE:

gooey butter cake 3 150x150 Gooey Butter Cake
Print
Gooey Butter Cake
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 

Gooey Butter Cake - the famous dessert from St. Louis, made from scratch right in your kitchen! You will love this rich and delicious treat!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 530 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
for the cake:
  • 3 Tbsp milk room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp warm water
  • 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
for the filling:
  • 3 Tbsp and 1 tsp light corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 2.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1.5 c granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 c and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • powdered sugar for dusting
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
to make the cake base:
  1. In a measuring cup, combine milk, warm water and a dash of sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the surface and give it a few stirs. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 220 degrees F. (this step is optional; it just cuts down on a rising time)
  3. In the meantime, cream butter, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add egg and mix well.
  5. Add flour alternating with yeast mixture until smooth dough forms. The dough will be sticky but should not be wet. It will not pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  6. Transfer the dough onto prepared baking dish and patting with your hands, spread it to cover entire bottom of the dish. It may take a while so be patient.
  7. Cover the dish with a kitchen towel and set in a warm and draft-free place to rise for 2 to 3 hours OR preheated but turned-off oven for about 30 minutes.
  8. Once the base is ready, take it out of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
make the filling:
  1. In a small measuring cup or a bowl, mix together corn syrup, water and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter for 20 seconds. Gradually add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Mix in the egg.
  4. Add the flour alternating with corn syrup mixture. Beat together until smooth.
  5. Drop dollops of the filling over the cake base. Spread with a spatula and smooth out the top.
  6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The topping will be gooey.
  7. Let cool in pan.
  8. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Gooey Butter Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 530 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 97mg 32%
Sodium 542mg 23%
Potassium 71mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 72g 24%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 43g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 15.4%
Calcium 2.4%
Iron 10.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Sally says

    April 3, 2013 at 10:47 am

    my sister makes a MEAN gooey butter cake. I believe her recipe is a bit different, so I’ll have to send her here to take a look. She always makes it for us around Christmastime. You have my craving it Anna 🙂

    Reply

  3. gerryspeirs says

    April 3, 2013 at 1:41 am

    I need to try this Anna. I went to brunch on Easter Sunday and one of the items on the menu was gooey butter cake. I didn’t order it but tasted my wife’s and wished I had! Soo good..

    Reply

  4. Nancy says

    April 2, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    I get fooled all the time, regardless of whether it’s April Fool’s Day. Damn, I’m gullible! My husband’s cousin played a trick on all of us yesterday by posting something totally shocking on Facebook. Did I fall for it? Of course! I’ll be hiding in a closet too and gladly if I had this cake. That gooey butter topping is indeed magic.

    Reply

  5. curryandcomfort says

    April 2, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    No April Fools tricks here. I’ll only give you a magic trick about this cake… I’ll make it disappear…. right into my belly. 🙂

    Reply

  6. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    April 2, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    I managed to make it through April Fool’s Day without anyone playing any pranks on me. Yay! This butter cake sounds spectacular!

    Reply

  7. Nicole says

    April 2, 2013 at 10:39 am

    People are always tricking me because I am A) very easily scared and B) really gullible so Aprils Fools days is not my favorite holiday. I have always wanted to try gooey butter cake but I have not gotten around to making it. I’ll have to this weekend!

    Reply

  10. Jen Laceda says

    April 1, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    What You Tube rumour??

    I’m easy to trick, too, so I don’t really like AFD! But your butter cake looks divine in its simplicity! No tricks, no shortcuts…just a simple, straight forward cake! LOVE!

    Reply

    • CrunchyCreamySw says

      April 2, 2013 at 9:08 am

      There were rumors that YouTube is shutting down on April 1st.. 🙂 I know… 🙂 Thanks, Jen!

      Reply

    • CrunchyCreamySw says

      April 1, 2013 at 8:09 pm

      It’s one of those cakes you can’t stop eating after just one slice 🙂 Let’s make it two? 🙂 Thanks, Ashley!

      Reply

  13. Kate @ Diethood says

    April 1, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    No one has tried to fool me, yet, today… I hope it stays that way! 🙂
    Love me some gooey butter cake… yours looks phenomenal!

    Reply

  15. Jean says

    April 1, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    I’m afraid I’m one who falls for April Fools tricks, too. I’ve escaped it so far this year but the day’s not over yet! Love this cake, especially the gooey top!

    Reply

  17. Anita at Hungry Couple says

    April 1, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    I hate April Fools and practical jokes. I’ll hide in the closet with you…and this cake. 🙂

    Reply

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