Do you know the origin of gooey butter cake? If you do, you know where Dessert for Two is relocating to…
Mr. Dessert for Two and I are moving to St. Louis! We are beyond excited for this dynamic city. After years of living in the country (in California) and living in the suburbs (in Kansas), we’re leaning towards a house in the heart of the city. Is that a bad idea? Please, St. Louis people, let me know. We’re currently in love with a house in a happenin’ downtown area that was built in the late 1800s.
So, tell me: what do you know about the city in which Gooey Butter Cake was invented? Will we love living there? And most importantly: is St. Louis considered the South? When I looked at the garden zones in Southern Living magazine, St. Louis is included in the Upper South. Can we still brand ourselves as Southerners? (Please say yes, y’all).
We’ve been celebrating our decision all week, and I wanted to make an especially rich dessert to pair with the champagne. A small batch of classic St. Louis gooey butter cake fit the bill. I stirred in pumpkin and a few spices because, well, ’tis the season.
Gooey butter cake recipes typically call for cake mix. I don’t have a problem with cake mix per se, but I have a problem with using only half of a box of cake mix. So, I made a quick recipe for cake mix to use in the crust. I have not tried using it for a mini cake recipe, so I can’t recommend it for that, but I can say it’s fabulous in this pumpkin gooey butter cake recipe. So buttery, so vanilla-y.
We’re using a standard bread loaf pan to make roughly 1/4 of a regular cake. This will serve two nicely when cut down the middle. Here is the exact pan I used:
Thanks for all the good wishes, and for following us around as we relocate again. This move should be more permanent for us. If I could bake each of you a gooey butter cake and serve it on a pretty blue plate with as much powdered sugar as you like, I would. Y’all are the best. Thanks for being you.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg yolk, egg white reserved for the filling
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Have ready a metal bread loaf pan that measures 9 x 5".
- First, make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Add the egg yolk, milk and melted butter. Stir until a wet dough forms, and then press this mixture evenly into the bottom of the bread loaf pan.
- Next, make the gooey butter filling: In the same bowl you used to make the crust, add all of the filling ingredients. Beat together on low speed until well-blended, about 1 minute. Pour the filling over the crust.
- Bake the gooey butter cake for 35-40 minutes. It will be browned on the edges, but slightly jiggly and sunken in the middle. Let it cool COMPLETELY. I store it overnight in the fridge for perfect cuts.
- Serve with extra powdered sugar dusted on top.
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