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St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Bars of soft cookie crust and a custard-like filling, Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is a St. Louis staple on it's way to take over the world.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butter cake, chocolate cake, gooey butter, gooey butter cake, ooey gooey butter cake
Servings: 30 Bars

Ingredients

For the "Crust"

  • 2½ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
  • 1¼ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the "Filling"

  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese (room temperature)
  • ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
  • 3 cups Powdered Sugar (plus additional for dusting)
  • 2 Eggs
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

For the "Crust"

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly coat a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
  • In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until evenly distributed.
  • In a separate, larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy (1-2 minutes)
  • Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture, and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first one is completely mixed in before adding the second.
  • Add flour mixture, mixing slowly so the flour does not get everywhere in your kitchen. Gently press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the 9x13 inch prepared pan. Make sure the entire bottom is covered and build up sides about ½ around the edge. Now make the filling

For the "Filling"

  • In a large bowl, beat the ream cheese and butter together until very fluffy (2-3 minutes). Make sure that at this point, your cream cheese and butter are both very soft and around room temperature or else your filling will be chunky!
  • Add in the powdered sugar and salt until totally combined.
  • Mix in vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until the entire mixture is homogeneous.
  • Pour the filling mixture over the bottom layer in the pan and use a spatula to ensure that it is providing even coverage.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until a golden brown is reached. You will notice it becomes almost bulbous as the top layer of filling forms a sort of film over the top that fills with air bubbles... but do not fret, this is completely normal and when you take the cake out, the air will fall out of it and the cake will be perfect!
  • Allow cake to cool to room temperature, then dust the entire cake with a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar. Cut and enjoy!