St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients

Base

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs, beaten (room temperature)
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Base

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk quickly to combine.
2. In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg and vanilla extract.
3. Add the butter mix into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overwork this dough.
4. Transfer butter cake mixture into prepared pan. Press the mix into the bottom of the pan so it forms a type of crust—much the same as you would do when making lemon bars. To get an even base, use a flat-bottom cup to press down the dough rather than using your fingers.

Cream Cheese Topping

1. Beat together the softened cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix to combine.
2. Pour the filling over the base. Use a spatula to spread it evenly across the crust.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Bake it until the edges begin to brown and the filling is nearly set.
4. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 45 to 60 minutes before dusting with confectioners’ sugar.

Attribution

Photo credit: (c) Can Stock Photo / bhofack2

Keywords

gooey, butter cake, cream cheese, bakery, midwestern, st louis