I first posted this recipe several years ago but it was lost in that dark hole called 'Archives' and seen by few. When the Food Network theme for this week called for 'Cake' I decided it was time to refresh this post and share it with more than me, myself and my now gone but not forgotten pup Abbie.
My Grandparents lived in the most charming little home on St. Louis South Side. Through the magic of Google Maps I was able to find their home and it's funny how it seemed SO much larger to me as a girl but the influence of that woman, the sweetness she always showed me and the experience of spending time in her kitchen were huge. As a young woman I rented a small house closer to her so that I was able to visit her more regularly; usually to take her out to dinner one night each week after I got off work and then always to visit on Sunday. I just loved going to her home and there was never a Sunday spent there that we didn't make the trip by a bakery after church for a string tied box of St. Louis' own Gooey Butter Cake.
South St. Louis was the heart of Gooey Butter Cake territory when that area was filled with German immigrants and was a treasure-trove of family-owned, German-style bakeries. Legend has it that Gooey Butter Cake was originally an accident in the 1930's when a local baker mixed up the proportion of butter in a standard coffee cake. His thriftiness wouldn't let him pitch the product so he decided to sell it by the square and it was such a hit that his accident eventually became an iconic signature of the entire city.
As important as it is to know what it is, it's also relevant to know what it is not. While decades of bakers have been making a quicker version for home cooks (Paula Deen even claims it as hers!), the truth is that a version using cake mix for the base and cream cheese for the topping will make a totally different treat. I admit I've never had it but those I know who hold onto this tradition with me as something important from our 'homeland' have told me it's just not the same and that the result is something far too sweet. The slightly sweetened yeast dough is a great balance for the topping which really is gooey...and perfect and not a drop of cheese in sight!
More important facts? I read an article in the New York Times (where our recipes are almost identical) that said this cake was often next to pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving dessert table. Whoa...really? Gooey Butter Cake is a breakfast pastry; think coffeecake, not dessert cake. Heck I saw another recipe in the Times from 1989 that would have you cut a purchased cake into pieces and fit it into a pan and then cover it with the topping and bake it. NO!! Why yes I do get a bit passionate; this is after all the stuff of my childhood; it's hard to see so many, for lack of better words, screw it up!
I will admit that as a girl; it was the Gooey part that held my attention. I might have scooped off that topping and fed the yeast dough to our dog hiding under the table. Somehow those topping ingredients melded together to become a thick, buttery and yes, gooey topping that was just perfect. Where I might typically avoid the outside edges of a dessert baked in a pan, with this cake it's the best part. The sugar and butter caramelize next to the pan and create not just ooey and gooey but a bit of chewy as well! As an adult I enjoy the juxtaposition of the two components; one just slightly sweet and yeasty that is the perfect foil to the sweeter, almost toffee like baked topping. It's perfect; you'll see!
It may seem to just be a Gooey Butter Cake...but for me it's SO much more! In the same tradition as my Grandma; my dad made a trip every Sunday to a local bakery and brought home a paper and a Gooey Butter Cake; still in a bakery box tied with a string. We never tired of it (and neither did the dog!). Walk down memory lane with me and try this original version. Yes it takes longer but I'm betting there is no going back; nothing else compares to the real deal!
2 hr, 40 Prep Time
25 minCook Time
3 hr, 5 Total Time
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Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Today is CAKE Day with The Food Network! Enjoy some additional offerings for this weeks #ComfortFoodFeast from my friends who posted their recipes today:
Homemade Delish: No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake in a Cup
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Three Cake Recipes To Get You Through Till Spring
Red or Green: Spiced Gingerbread Cake
Healthy Eats: 5 Cupcakes That Are Secretly Lighter
In Jennie's Kitchen: Dark Chocolate Brownies
The Mom 100: Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake with Sweet Vanilla Drizzle
FN Dish: 5 Stunning Cakes with Sky-High Fan Reviews
