Believe it or not, Gooey Butter Cake is not a Southern recipe nor is it originally a Paula Deen recipe even though it is featured as one of her recipes on Food Network and in her new cookbook, Southern Cooking Bible.
Gooey Butter Cake originated in St. Louis, MO, in the 1930s. The original bakery, owned by a John Hoffman, hired a new baker who accidentally inverted two ingredients resulting in a gooey cake that became a best seller in bakeries throughout the St. Louis area.
If you live in St. Louis, you will find three different recipes for Gooey Butter Cake that appear regularly in the local newspaper, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and in various local cookbooks. The Junior League of St. Louis has published the original Gooey Butter Cake recipe that many local bakeries still use. This original recipe was provided to them by Fred and Audrey Heimburger of Heimburger Bakery and has also been published in the Post. You can see the Junior League of St. Louis post here.
Most of us use a cake mix version (as does Paula Deen). Its ingredients include cream cheese and lots of powdered sugar, which are not found in the original recipe (except for the powdered sugar dusted on top).
There are three popular recipes, and I decided to make all three and use my friends and DSH’s co-workers as guinea pigs to taste test them and decide which version is the best.
All three recipes call for a cake-like crust base along with a filling layer on top that remains gooey after baking, thus the Gooey Butter Cake name.
Three versions, three sets of ingredients – from left to right #1 is the Original St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Heimburger Bakery), #2 is the St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Cake Mix Version), and #3 is St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Kaldi’s Coffeehouse Version).
Step One – make the crust and press it into the metal baking pan.
Note: I prefer a less gooey Gooey Butter Cake and would make Version #2 in a 13x9x2 inch pan normally. I used the smaller pan as that is what the original recipe called for.
Step Two – make the filling and pour it onto the crust layer.
Note: Version #1 calls for dusting with powdered sugar prior to baking. I dusted prior to baking and again after cooling.
Step Three – bake, cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Note: Versions #1 and #2 call for baking in a 350° F oven, but Version #3 is baked in a 300° F oven. Next time, I will bake Version #1 for a little less time as it continues to cook outside of the oven and ended up not being as gooey as it should have been.
Three versions – ready to eat.
Taste Test Results:
The Original Gooey Butter Cake is a denser and less sweet version from the ones most of us are used to eating. It was not as gooey as the other two versions. When I make this version again, I would make sure not to cook it as long so that it remains gooey. Those who aren’t big Gooey Butter Cake fans seemed to prefer this one.
Several people preferred the cake mix version #2 because it was really gooey and sweet. If you like a gooey butter cake that is a little less gooey, then be sure to use a 13x9x2 inch pan. If you like it gooey and sweet, use the 9x9x2 inch pan.
The Kaldi’s Coffeehouse version won the most votes overall. It is slightly less sweet and less gooey than the standard cake mix version that most of us make at home. Many people preferred the texture and slightly less sweet taste than version #2. It was also my favorite.
Thank you to all of my taste testers! Make a Gooey Butter Cake soon. They are yummy!
Original St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Heimburger Bakery)
Adapted from Heimburger Bakery and published on the Junior League of St. Louis website and in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Serves 9
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
Filling:
1¼ cups sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or coat a 9x9x2 metal baking pan with cooking spray.
To prepare crust:
In mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Pat into the bottom of the 9x9x2 greased baking pan.
To prepare filling:
In mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in egg until combined. Add alternately the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Pour batter into crust-lined baking pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Bake at 350° F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake is nearly set. Do not overcook. Cool in pan. Dust with additional powdered sugar.
St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Cake Mix Version)
Paula Deen’s version calls for melting the butter for the cake base, adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the filling mixture, and using a 13x9x2 inch metal baking dish. Most local recipes call for using softened butter for the cake base, using 2 or 3 eggs for the filling, and using a 9x9x2 inch metal baking dish. This version lends itself well to variations such as substituting various different flavors of cake mixes and add-ins.
Makes 9 to 12 servings depending on which size pan you use.
Crust:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
½ cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 or 3 eggs
1 16-ounce box of powdered sugar plus, divided
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or coat a 9x9x2 or a 13x9x2 metal baking pan with cooking spray.
To prepare crust:
In mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter. Mixture will be very thick. Pat into the bottom of the prepared of the 9x9x2 greased baking pan.
To prepare filling:
Measure 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and set aside. In mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, and the remaining powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and pour batter into the crust-lined baking pan.
Bake at 350° F for 40 minutes or until cake is nearly set. Do not overcook. Cool in pan. Dust with powdered sugar.
Note: All of the recipes call for using 18 or 19-ounce boxes of yellow cake mix. Most manufacturers have reduced packing size to 15.25 ounce boxes. That is what was used in this recipe and it worked well.
St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (Kaldi’s Coffeehouse Version)
This version is somewhat of a mix between the original recipe and the cake mix recipe. It has been published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and appears in many local cookbooks.
Makes 12 servings
Crust:
½ cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons water
1 box yellow cake mix
½ cup all-purpose flour
Filling:
12 ounces cream cheese (1½ packages), softened to room temperature
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon vanilla
1½ pounds (about 5½ cups) powdered sugar plus more for dusting
Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease or coat a 13x9x2 metal baking pan with cooking spray.
To prepare crust:
In mixing bowl, combine the butter, egg, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Add water, cake mix, and flour; beat until well combined. Pat into the bottom of the prepared of the 13x9x2 greased baking pan.
To prepare filling:
In mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until well blended and smooth. Pour topping over the crust and spread evenly.
Bake at 300° F for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely. Dust top with 3 to 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar prior to serving.
Note: All of the recipes call for using 18 or 19-ounce boxes of yellow cake mix. Most manufacturers have reduced packing size to 15.25 ounce boxes. That is what was used in this recipe and it worked well.
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