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My mother kept a few recipes that she made only for company, and gooey butter cake was the one she loved to surprise people with. The neighbor man walked in one evening while it was cooling on the counter, saw the soft shiny middle sag when she set the pan down, and told her gently that it was not done. She cut him a square anyway. He stood in the kitchen and ate it, then asked for a second one to take home, and on his way out the door he admitted that underdone was the best thing that had ever happened to a cake.
The story goes that gooey butter cake was born in St. Louis in the 1930s, when a baker mixed up his proportions of butter and sugar and pulled out a coffee cake that never set. Times were hard, so he sold it anyway, and his customers came back asking for more of the mistake. Today the city is famous for it. Most recipes now start with a box of cake mix, but my mother made the base from scratch: a thin, rich yeast-free butter cake pressed into the pan, and on top a thick layer of cream cheese, butter, eggs and powdered sugar. It bakes until the edges are golden and the top has a thin, crackly crust, but the middle still wobbles. As it cools it sets into something halfway between a cake and a custard.
Why this gooey butter cake works
- A firm base. The bottom layer is a thick, buttery cake dough that bakes into a sturdy, chewy layer able to hold the soft top.
- Powdered sugar in the filling. It dissolves completely into the cream cheese and eggs, which is what gives the top its smooth, gooey texture and thin shiny crust.
- Pulled while it wobbles. The filling keeps cooking from its own heat. Bake it until the middle is set, and it cools dry and cakey instead of gooey.
- A long rest. It needs at least an hour to cool and settle before it can be cut into clean squares.
Ingredients
Makes one 9x13 inch cake, about 24 small squares. It is very rich, so cut it small. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the cake base
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the gooey layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese (225g), soft
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar (450g), plus more for dusting
Use full-fat block cream cheese at room temperature. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the gooey layer, and tub cream cheese is too soft to set.
How to make gooey butter cake
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- For the base, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla and stir into a thick, soft dough.
- Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon. It will be a thin layer.
- For the gooey layer, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth. Beat in the melted butter, then the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
- Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating on low speed until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Pour the filling over the base and spread it evenly to the edges.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. It is ready when the edges are golden brown and the top has a thin, shiny, light golden crust, but the center still jiggles like soft custard when you nudge the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for at least an hour. The middle will sink a little and set into its gooey texture.
- Dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into small squares with a hot, wiped knife.
Tips that make the difference
- Trust the wobble. If the center is firm when you take it out, it will cool dry. Pull it when the middle still jiggles.
- Do not overbeat after adding the eggs. Too much air makes the top puff and crack instead of settling into a shiny crust.
- Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts, or the gooey layer tears.
- Cut it small. A two-inch square is plenty for most people.
Variations
- Chocolate. Add 1/4 cup of cocoa to the base for a chocolate bottom under the gooey top.
- Pumpkin. Beat 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into the gooey layer for an October version.
- Lemon. Add the zest of a lemon and a tablespoon of juice to the gooey layer.
- Pecan. Scatter chopped pecans over the filling before baking.
Storage and make-ahead
Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. It is good cold, straight from the refrigerator.
Dust with fresh powdered sugar before serving leftovers, because the first dusting soaks in.
Freeze squares between layers of parchment in an airtight box for up to 2 months.
Frequently asked questions
Is gooey butter cake supposed to be underbaked?
Yes. You take it out while the center still jiggles. It sets as it cools into a soft, gooey layer between cake and custard.
Where does gooey butter cake come from?
The story goes that a St. Louis baker in the 1930s got his butter and sugar proportions wrong, sold the result anyway, and the mistake became the city’s favorite cake.
Can I make gooey butter cake without cake mix?
Yes. This recipe makes the base from flour, sugar, butter, egg and milk, and it tastes richer than the boxed version.
Why did my gooey butter cake turn out dry?
It was baked until the middle was firm. Take it out sooner, while it still wobbles, and let it cool completely before cutting.
Bake it until the edges are golden and the middle still wobbles, then step away from the oven. Somebody will tell you it is not done. Let them taste it.
Gooey Butter Cake from Scratch (The Cake That Comes Out Wobbly)
Homemade St. Louis gooey butter cake with no cake mix: a thin buttery cake base under a thick cream cheese and powdered sugar layer, baked in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, pulled while the middle still jiggles.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces cream cheese (225g), soft
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar (450g), plus more for dusting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- For the base, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla and stir into a thick, soft dough.
- Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon. It will be a thin layer.
- For the gooey layer, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth. Beat in the melted butter, then the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
- Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating on low speed until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Pour the filling over the base and spread it evenly to the edges.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. It is ready when the edges are golden brown and the top has a thin, shiny, light golden crust, but the center still jiggles like soft custard when you nudge the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for at least an hour. The middle will sink a little and set into its gooey texture.
- Dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into small squares with a hot, wiped knife.
