St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

By Melissa Clark

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours, plus about 3 hours’ rising
Rating
5(2,212)
Comments
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Legend has it that the St. Louis gooey butter cake originated by accident in the 1930s, when a baker mixed up the proportion of butter in one of his coffee cakes. Rather than throw it out, he sold it by the square, and the sugary, sticky confection was a hit. Naturally, a slice of gooey cake ends up next to — or in place of — the pumpkin pie at many a Missourian’s Thanksgiving table. Some bakers like to add pumpkin and spices to the gooey filling. Not so in this yeast-risen version from Molly Killeen, the St. Louis native behind Made by Molly, a dessert company in Brooklyn. Her recipe is soft-centered, crisp-edged and not too sweet. The leftovers are excellent for breakfast the next morning.

Featured in: Having My Cake and Eating It Too

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Ingredients

Yield:16 to 20 servings

    For the Cake

    • 3tablespoons/45 milliliters milk at room temperature
    • 1¾teaspoons/5 grams active dry yeast
    • 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 3tablespoons/45 grams sugar
    • 1teaspoon/5 grams kosher salt
    • 1large egg
    • 1¾cups/215 grams all-purpose flour

    For the Topping

    • 3tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/50 milliliters light corn syrup
    • 2½teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla extract
    • 12tablespoons/170 grams/1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1½cups/300 grams sugar
    • ½teaspoon/3 grams kosher salt
    • 1large egg
    • 1cup plus 3 tablespoons/145 grams all-purpose flour
    • Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

311 calories; 12 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 181 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, mix milk with 2 tablespoons warm water. Add yeast and whisk gently until it dissolves. Mixture should foam slightly.

  2. Step 2

    Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and the milk mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Beat dough on medium speed until it forms a smooth mass and pulls away from sides of bowl, 7 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Press dough into an ungreased 9-by 13-inch baking dish at least 2 inches deep. Cover dish with plastic wrap or clean tea towel, put in a warm place, and allow to rise until doubled, 2½ to 3 hours.

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping, in a small bowl, mix corn syrup with 2 tablespoons water and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and corn syrup mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon topping in large dollops over risen cake and use a spatula to gently spread it in an even layer. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes; cake will rise and fall in waves and have a golden brown top, but will still be liquid in center when done. Allow to cool in pan before sprinkling with confectioners’ sugar for serving.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,212 user ratings
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Comments

Tom

As someone who worked for 10 years in a bakery in St. Louis, I want to warn everyone that if you eat a gooey butter that was made from a yellow cake mix, it's a sad copy. If you eat one that is made with cream cheese, it is an abomination. This recipe is in the ballpark of a true gooey butter.

Jo Ann Henderson

I have made this cake several times since I first saw it in the feature article in the NY Times. I consider it the ultimate "coffee cake". Personally, I think it is elevated with the addition of 1 C diced apples (fuji, granny smith, or some other firm, tart fruit) added to the batter. Good either way. Especially as a breakfast tart.

Jessica

No one from St. Louis would ever say "gooey cake." It just "gooey butter" to the initiated. And everyone knows it's a breakfast food, not a thanksgiving dessert. But I'm glad to see its being recognized, finally, as a significant regional confection.

brotherman01

After eating Gooey Butter Cake as a child in the STL, I always felt like I needed to go to confession on Sunday (the Rock Church on Grand if you are keeping score). It is sinfully good.

steve

I lived in Glendale Queens which at the time was an old German and Irish neighborhood. The bakeries made a Buttercake, but it was completely different. It was a square cake very buttery and coated with sugar and very delicious.

Olivia G

This cake is not too sweet, but at the same time very rich. Makes a good snack or breakfast. I enjoyed it, though it is a bit more labor intensive than the desserts I typically go for. I topped mine with whipped cream. I made only a small tweak — I didn’t have quite enough white sugar to finish the topping, so I spooned in some brown sugar to finish it off. I don’t think this made any noticeable difference.

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