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St. Louis gooey butter cake
Flat yellow cake with a sticky, custardy cream cheese top
Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis institution, sold in squares at south-side German bakeries and baked for church coffee hours and Christmas mornings. Legend says a baker in the 1930s got his proportions wrong and the mistake sold out. A thin, chewy yeast-free cake base is covered with a sweet cream cheese and butter layer that bakes into a crackly, shiny top over a gooey middle. Chef's tip: take it out while the centre still jiggles; the goo is the point, and an overbaked one is just a sweet sponge.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the base
- 6 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 oz buttermelted
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheesesoft
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 ½ oz icing sugar
- 2 tbsp icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 23 × 33 cm tin with baking paper.
3 minStep 2: Mix the 6 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz sugar, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt, then stir in the 4 oz butter, 1 egg, ¼ cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a thick dough. Press it evenly into the tin.
5 minStep 3: Beat the 8 oz full-fat cream cheese until smooth, then the 2 ⅛ oz butter, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract, then the 12 ½ oz icing sugar until creamy. Spread over the base.
5 minStep 4: Bake for 30–35 minutes until the top is golden and crackled at the edges but the centre still wobbles. A common mistake is baking until set; it firms as it cools.
35 minStep 5: Cool completely in the tin, dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar and cut into 16 squares.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does st. Louis gooey butter cake take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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