Butter Cake (St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake)

Say St. Louis, and you're talking Gooey Butter Cake. What starts off innocently enough as a plain yeast-raised coffee cake erupts into a volcanic mass of chewy bright yellow lava with snow banks of powdered sugar. The crusty edges glue to the teeth. You can't just swallow Gooey Butter Cake, you work it down. As for the origin of Gooey Butter Cake, most admit it was a mistake, although no one knows exactly whose. Certainly, it would have originated in South St. Louis, where most of the German bakers - the backbone of the St. Louis bakery industry - lived. Fred Heimbeurger, a retired St. Louis baker with a long memory, contends it was some baker in the 1930's who, in making an ordinary yellow cake, put in too much sugar, butter or shortening, or all three. What he ended up was a sticky mess. But since this was the Depression, he couldn't let it go to waste, so he tried to sell it anyway. St. Louisans, Depression or not, wanted more, and the sloppier the better. Today, most of the independent bakeries in St. Louis, as well as the supermarket bakeries, carry a version of Gooey Butter Cake.

Cake:
3 Tbsp. milk, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. water, warmed to 110°F (43°C)-115°F (46°C)
1¾ tsp. active dry yeast
6 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
3 Tbsp. raw sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 egg
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

Topping:
3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. light corn syrup
2 Tbsp. water
2½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (12 Tbsp.) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups raw sugar
½ tsp. sea salt
1 egg
1 cup + 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached

Serving:
confectioners' sugar

Prepare the Yeast:  
In a small bowl, mix milk with the warm water. Add the yeast and whisk gently until it dissolves. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to foam.

Make the Batter:  
Cream together the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Increase the speed to medium and beat the dough until it forms a smooth mass and pulls away from sides of bowl, 7-10 minutes.

Press the dough into an ungreased 9x13” baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2½-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Make the Topping:  
Whisk together the corn syrup, water and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in three additions, alternating with the corn syrup mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

To Assemble:  
Drop the topping by large spoonful’s over the risen dough and use an offset spatula to gently spread it into an even layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes; cake will rise and fall in waves and have a golden brown top, but will still be liquid in center when done.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature before serving. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

Cook's Note: This cake is best eaten the same day it's made, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.