St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Two versions of a St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake clipped from a newspaper.

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Ingredients

Sweet Dough:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cake 0.6 ounce compressed yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla

Gooey Butter Topping:

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter softened
Dash salt
1 egg
1/4 cup white corn syrup
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
Confectioners sugar

Method

Sweet Dough:

For the sweet dough, combine sugar, shortening, and salt, only until mixed with an electric mixer. Add egg and beat one minute until well-blended.
Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add flour, then milk-yeast mixture with vanilla, to the dough. Mix three minutes with a dough hook.
Turn dough out on a floured board and knead for one minute. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for one hour. Meanwhile, make gooey butter topping.

Gooey Butter Topping:

For gooey butter topping, combine sugar, butter, and salt. Add egg and corn syrup. Mix to blend ingredients. Add flour, water, and vanilla.
Punch down sweet dough; divide into two pieces. Pat into two well-greased 9 by 9 by 2-inch pans. With fingers, crimp edges halfway up the side of pans so that gooey butter will not run out underneath. After the dough is spread out, punch holes in the dough with a fork to keep the dough from bubbling when baked.
Divide gooey butter into two equal parts. Spread over dough in each pan. Let cakes stand for 20 minutes. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Do not overbake; the batter will not be gooey if cakes are overbaked.
Let cakes cool; sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Kitchen Helper 2

Large Mixing Bowl

Pastry Board

Retro Mixing Bowls

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword St. Louis, Cake, Butter Cake

Ingredients

Sweet Dough: 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup solid white vegetable shortening 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cake (0.6 ounce) compressed yeast 1/2 cup warm milk 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon vanilla Gooey Butter Topping: 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup butter, softened Dash salt 1 egg 1/4 cup white corn syrup 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon vanilla Confectioners sugar

Method

Sweet Dough: For the sweet dough, combine sugar, shortening, and salt, only until mixed with an electric mixer. Add egg and beat one minute until well-blended. Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add flour, then milk-yeast mixture with vanilla, to the dough. Mix three minutes with a dough hook. Turn dough out on a floured board and knead for one minute. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for one hour. Meanwhile, make gooey butter topping. Gooey Butter Topping: For gooey butter topping, combine sugar, butter, and salt. Add egg and corn syrup. Mix to blend ingredients. Add flour, water, and vanilla. Punch down sweet dough; divide into two pieces. Pat into two well-greased 9 by 9 by 2-inch pans. With fingers, crimp edges halfway up the side of pans so that gooey butter will not run out underneath. After the dough is spread out, punch holes in the dough with a fork to keep the dough from bubbling when baked. Divide gooey butter into two equal parts. Spread over dough in each pan. Let cakes stand for 20 minutes. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Do not overbake; the batter will not be gooey if cakes are overbaked. Let cakes cool; sprinkle with confectioners sugar.