Sometimes, making mistakes can be a good thing, and other times, making mistakes can be a GREAT thing! In this case, it really is a great thing! It seems that some of the best culinary mistakes made have stood the test of time and have made history. For example, buffalo wings, toasted ravioli, ice cream cones and one of my very favorites is: The Gooey Butter Cake. This is my mother-in-laws, along with most of my family’s favorite desserts that I make. One of the things that I like the most about this dessert is that I usually always have ingredients on hand to make this scrumptious dessert, and it travels well.
The history behind this dessert is interesting, and there are many legends surrounding the “invention” of the gooey butter cake. This goes back to the great depression, in the St. Louis area. The original gooey butter cakes had a yeast crust and were more along the lines of a coffee cake. A German baker added the wrong proportion of ingredients in the coffee cake he was making. It turned into a gooey pudding like filling. Today’s recipe calls for a cake crust and a gooey, cream cheese filling and the whole cake is topped with powdered sugar.
Bakers have tried to bring the gooey butter cakes to other cities throughout the country, but the cake was not well received. Yes, there have been other knock offs of the gooey butter cake with some adding fruit (pineapple or cherry), but that’s not really a genuine gooey butter cake. I would like to share my recipe for the sweet, rich, ooey gooey cake.
Gooey Butter Cake:
Crust ingredients:
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 1 stick of butter or margarine, softened
- 1 egg
Grease bottom of 9×13 inch pan. Mix cake mix, softened margarine and one egg with fork until moist.
Pat this mixture into the bottom of the cake pan.
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 (8oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
- 1 lb. powdered sugar + some to sprinkle on top
Beat 2 eggs, softened cream cheese, and powdered sugar for 3-5 minutes in electric mixer. Pour over crust mixture.
Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees in a preheated oven.
Remove from oven when top is golden brown and has a slight crust on the top.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let cool. Serve!