One of the best things about St. Louis is Gooey Butter Cake, which originated due to a mistake by a new baker in the 1930s. When I lived in St. Louis, you could find this decadent dessert at any bakery, with recipes in the local paper. If you have never experienced this delicacy, it is formed by a sweet dough crust topped with a buttery topping. The topping is more dense and solid than the top of a lemon bar, but it shares some of that texture. Serve slightly warm, and you’ll fall in love!
Sweet Dough
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 and 2/3 cups sorghum flour
1/3 plus 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package active dry yeast
In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, blend sugar, salt, and butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, and xanthan gum. Warm the water and add to cream; then add yeast to dissolve. Add flour, cream/water/yeast mixture, and vanilla. Beat for 3-4 minutes. Knead for 1 minute in the bowl. Set in a warm place, covered by a towel, for one hour.
Gooey Butter Filling
2 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, soft
dash salt
1 egg
1/4 cup white or dark corn syrup
1 and 1/2 cups sorghum flour
3/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar, optional
About 15 minutes before the dough has risen one hour, in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, blend sugar, salt, and butter. Mix in egg and corn syrup. In a medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, and xanthan gum. Then blend flour mixture, water, and vanilla with other ingredients.
When dough has risen one hour, grease two 9” x 9” pans. Divide dough in half, covering bottoms of pans and pushing dough slightly up the sides. Next, place half of the gooey butter into each pan, spreading as evenly as possible. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (convection oven: 350 degrees for 22 minutes). Do not overcook. Can be sprinkled with powdered sugar when cool. Yield: 32 servings. Refrigerate unused portions. Warm slightly in microwave prior to eating. Freezes well.
***
Until I baked this gluten-free version recently, it had been years since I’d eaten gooey butter cake. I’d moved from the St. Louis area in the 1970s, and gooey butter cake is not served in many other locations.
This dessert takes a bit of prep time and makes more than enough to feed a whole party, so it’s not an everyday dessert. But it’s definitely worth your time. And it freezes well. So maybe you’ll just have a party of one, as I did.
I was especially happy that the dough behaved well; I was able to knead it just as if it were wheat dough. So enjoy the process and the product. And enjoy a regional Missouri favorite.
Sweet Dough
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 and 2/3 cups sorghum flour
1/3 plus 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package active dry yeast
In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, blend sugar, salt, and butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, and xanthan gum. Warm the water and add to cream; then add yeast to dissolve. Add flour, cream/water/yeast mixture, and vanilla. Beat for 3-4 minutes. Knead for 1 minute in the bowl. Set in a warm place, covered by a towel, for one hour.
Gooey Butter Filling
2 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, soft
dash salt
1 egg
1/4 cup white or dark corn syrup
1 and 1/2 cups sorghum flour
3/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar, optional
About 15 minutes before the dough has risen one hour, in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, blend sugar, salt, and butter. Mix in egg and corn syrup. In a medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, and xanthan gum. Then blend flour mixture, water, and vanilla with other ingredients.
When dough has risen one hour, grease two 9” x 9” pans. Divide dough in half, covering bottoms of pans and pushing dough slightly up the sides. Next, place half of the gooey butter into each pan, spreading as evenly as possible. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (convection oven: 350 degrees for 22 minutes). Do not overcook. Can be sprinkled with powdered sugar when cool. Yield: 32 servings. Refrigerate unused portions. Warm slightly in microwave prior to eating. Freezes well.
***
Until I baked this gluten-free version recently, it had been years since I’d eaten gooey butter cake. I’d moved from the St. Louis area in the 1970s, and gooey butter cake is not served in many other locations.
This dessert takes a bit of prep time and makes more than enough to feed a whole party, so it’s not an everyday dessert. But it’s definitely worth your time. And it freezes well. So maybe you’ll just have a party of one, as I did.
I was especially happy that the dough behaved well; I was able to knead it just as if it were wheat dough. So enjoy the process and the product. And enjoy a regional Missouri favorite.
RSS Feed
