This is a traditional St. Louis-style gooey butter cake. That means it has two layers. The bottom layer is a sweet yeasted cake and the top layer is an ultra-buttery batter that doesn’t fully set when baked—it becomes an almost pudding-like filling. Gear up for a treat that is about to become a staple in your household.
Unproven Origins, Happy Outcome
One rumor is that gooey butter cake is the happy accident of a St. Louis-based pastry chef from the 1940s, Johnny Hoffman. He accidentally got the proportions of a coffee cake recipe mixed up, resulting in a super gooey cake. The gooey butter cake became a phenomenon all over St. Louis—people lined up at bakeries around town for a piece of this cake. Still today there are bakeries that only serve gooey butter cakes. Family and friends argue over the best part. Is it the crisp, blondie-like edges? Or the gooey center? My vote is for the center! Over the years, many variations have been created, including a shortcut with boxed cake mix and a cream cheese topping—equally as sweet and gooey, but I prefer this combination of yeasted dough and buttery topping.
Tips for Gooey Success
The sweet, yeasted dough is pressed into a baking dish. It will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours for the dough to rise and will double in size, but it’s hands off time for an otherwise easy recipe to pull together. I make a small mark on my baking dish about 1/2 inch above the top of the dough—a black Sharpie on the outside. You can tell the dough rose properly when it puffs up to the mark.Another way to tell the dough has risen properly? Just touch it! The dough will go from firm to soft as it proofs. It’ll feel squishy and will stay indented when you poke it with a finger. Even if you’re concerned about using corn syrup, do not replace with another ingredient or leave it out. Corn syrup is key for top-notch gooeyness.Yeasted doughs are typically kneaded with a hook attachment on a stand mixer (or by hand), but not here. A paddle attachment is all you need and enough to ensure the mixture comes together. The dough is covered with the topping, which makes it difficult to know when it is done baking. Luckily, you can tell from the top edges—they should be golden brown and slightly pull away from the dish. The center will be jiggly when you move the dish back and forth.
More Sheet Cake Recipes
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6 tablespoons warm whole milk 2 teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish 1/4 cup (50g) sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 2/3 cups (213g) all-purpose flour
For the buttery topping
1/3 cup light corn syrup 3 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups (350g) sugar 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/3 cup (170g) all-purpose flour Powdered sugar, for dusting
It will be a very thin layer of dough once you spread it out. It’ll bake up quickly and absorb the buttery topping. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in three additions, alternating with the corn syrup mixture, starting and ending with the flour, until combined. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. Resist the urge to pop them in the fridge. It’ll firm up too much. If you do refrigerate, bring to room temperature before serving. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!
