Missouri Favorite Foods (St. Louis, Springfield, Nixa: moving to, station, Wal-mart)

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by northbayeric

Heck, why use the singular? Eric the Librarian heading over to allrecipes.com and voila! Four gooey butter cake recipes!! Here you go! A little extra butter in memory of Julia Child, lol!

Allrecipes - Recipe Search

Now just be careful not to O.D. on the carbs, huh?

Originally Posted by jdslady

I found a receipe for it too !!
Gooey Butter Cake Recipe: Recipes: Food Network

Thank you both for the recipe links! They all look great! I love the ease of the ones from NBEric and the authenticity of the one by Emeril that jdslady provided.

I had an interesting conversation on this subject. My mother grew up on a farm just north of Columbia, MO so I called to ask her if she'd ever heard of this Gooey Butter Cake but she said she hadn't. I haven't asked my father, who was born and raised in St. Louis, yet.

Anyway, when I read Emeril's recipe description to her: ("This is a dish native to St. Louis. Apparently it originated during the Great Depression in the German section in the southern part of town. It almost always starts with store-bought or leftover yeast coffee cake or danishes that are cut up and fit into a buttered pan. The "gooey butter" part comes from the topping, which is poured over the cake pieces and then baked.") and she learned that it used 1 1/2 sticks of butter, she interrupted to say she wondered how there would be such a surplus of butter, much less, pastry, during the depression! Hmmm...

Either way, we both agreed that we still would love to try it!!!

[kareybear]

Originally Posted by mrsgenealogy

Thank you both for the recipe links! They all look great! I love the ease of the ones from NBEric and the authenticity of the one by Emeril that jdslady provided.

I had an interesting conversation on this subject. My mother grew up on a farm just north of Columbia, MO so I called to ask her if she'd ever heard of this Gooey Butter Cake but she said she hadn't. I haven't asked my father, who was born and raised in St. Louis, yet.

Anyway, when I read Emeril's recipe description to her: ("This is a dish native to St. Louis. Apparently it originated during the Great Depression in the German section in the southern part of town. It almost always starts with store-bought or leftover yeast coffee cake or danishes that are cut up and fit into a buttered pan. The "gooey butter" part comes from the topping, which is poured over the cake pieces and then baked.") and she learned that it used 1 1/2 sticks of butter, she interrupted to say she wondered how there would be such a surplus of butter, much less, pastry, during the depression! Hmmm...

Either way, we both agreed that we still would love to try it!!!

Mrs.G Since Gooey Butter cake was mention. I notice it at C&R grocery store here in Macon but it was butter flavored and it wasn't bad. I think the real thing would be wondeful. I would never have notice it unless it was mentioned.

[mrsgenealogy]

Thanks, Kareybear!

I haven't noticed it at any of my stores but I haven't looked specifically for it. I haven't seen it at any restaurants, either. Hmmm...

I'm wondering if I could ever make it since I'd feel soooo guilty over making a whole cake with allll thaaat butterrrr! I don't have a lot of people to share it with so we'd both be in BIG TROUBLE! Get it? Hahaha!



Btw, I haven't seen a store by that name here in my area. Just FYI. Thanks for sharing, though!

[karueter]

Yum!

I'm in the tourism industry in St. Louis, and the story behind Gooey Butter Cake is part of the food history of St. Louis. Legend has it that a worker at a local German bakery in the 1930s got the proportions wrong when baking a simple yellow cake recipe...and the rest is history. Luckily, they decided to try the slightly gooey creation instead of tossing it out, or Sunday brunch would never be the same in this city. And for some reason it is one of those very rare treats - the store bought version tends to be better than home-made.

I've never heard of gooey butter starting off as leftover coffee cake or yeast based cake. St. Loisians know it was just a happy accident of (way) too much butter in the cake!

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by karueter

Yum!

I'm in the tourism industry in St. Louis, and the story behind Gooey Butter Cake is part of the food history of St. Louis. Legend has it that a worker at a local German bakery in the 1930s got the proportions wrong when baking a simple yellow cake recipe...and the rest is history. Luckily, they decided to try the slightly gooey creation instead of tossing it out, or Sunday brunch would never be the same in this city. And for some reason it is one of those very rare treats - the store bought version tends to be better than home-made.

I've never heard of gooey butter starting off as leftover coffee cake or yeast based cake. St. Loisians know it was just a happy accident of (way) too much butter in the cake!

I am so grateful you dropped by our little forum and helped us solve the mystery, karueter! After hearing what my mother said, this story sounds more plausible than the one Emeril gives. I can't wait to share the story with my mother and ask my father about it, too! You definitely earned a rep point for this!

Thanks a bunch!

[Northwoods Voyager]

My MIL had this recipe from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 5, 1972:

It is credited to H.Davis, Jr. of Davis Sutton Bakery in Maplewood, MO.

You ready?OK here goes:
GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup shortening, 1/4 teaspoon salt,
1 egg , 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup milk (whole),
1 tablespoon vanilla , 1 pkg. (.06 ounce size) compressed yeast


for Gooey Butter:

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup BUTTER, dash, salt,
1 egg, 1/4 cup white corn syrup, 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon vanilla (real)

And Here Is How To Do It:

1. Make a sweet dough by mixing 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup shortening and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add egg and beat one minute until well blended.

2. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup milk. Add flour, then milk and vanilla to sweet dough batter. Mix three (3) minutes.

3. Turn dough out on floured board and knead for one (1) minute. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

4. Make gooey butter by combining 2 1/2 cups sugar, one (1) cup butter and a dash of salt. Add one (1) egg and white corn syrup. Mix enough to incorporate. Add remaining flour and vanilla.

5. Divide dough into two (2) pieces. Place in well-greased 9 x 9 x 2 pans. Crimp edges half way up side of pans so butter will not run out underneath. After dough is spread, punch holes in dough with a fork (to keep dough from bubbling when baking).

6. Divide butter into two (2) equal parts. Spread over dough in each pan. Let cakes stand for 20 minutes. Then bake in a 380 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Do Not Overbake: batter will not be Gooey if cakes are over-baked.

7. After cakes are cool, top with confectioner's sugar.

As I stated, this is an old recipe from a bakery in St. Louis county from many years ago. Similar to one I have, but the ingredients here are more like what I believe is the original. Enjoy

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by Northwoods Voyager

My MIL had this recipe from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 5, 1972:

It is credited to H.Davis, Jr. of Davis Sutton Bakery in Maplewood, MO.

You ready?OK here goes:
GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Recipe removed to save space...

As I stated, this is an old recipe from a bakery in St. Louis county from many years ago. Similar to one I have, but the ingredients here are more like what I believe is the original. Enjoy

Awesome! Thank you so much, Voyager! You rock!

Whenever I get the guts to make this, I'll think of you! Hahaha!

[Northwoods Voyager]

MrsG....


One thing here, many versions. I grew up in St. Louis and had relatives in south and north St. Louis. I'm talking many, many years ago. My father would have me ride my bike to the German bakery about 6-7 blocks from where we lived and get the gooey butter cake and a crumb cake for Sunday morning. Talk about good? Hmmmmm. This was always freshly baked that morning. The bakers worked early in the A.M. for customers such as I and then closed a little after noon on Sundays. Then I'd ride home and sometimes get what my Dad called Children's coffee. Half milk half coffee with probably way too much sugar

And, the Gooey Butter cake sold in some stores now, is nowhere nearly as good. the dough will be too stiff and the gooey butter part, not nearly as buttery as it should be. Haas Bakery makes a pretty good one tho'.

Hope you get the chance to try it. I have made it many years ago, but not lately. Must do it...

[mrsgenealogy]

Thanks for the info, Voyager! Being a genealogist, I love all things historical and know that just talking about them helps them to be learned and then remembered by others...who can then pass it on to others, still!

My father was born and grew up in St. Louis and he remembers going into those German Bakeries. He said they made a lot of one layer cakes and his family would often go in and buy two different flavors at a time. He can't remember the names of any of them or if he ever heard of Gooey Butter Cake, though. Then again, he IS 83 years old and the memory ain't what it used to be!!!

[Northwoods Voyager]

In 1969 I bought a lovely little book, "Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish & Game for $1.00. It has been used so often that I am seriously thinking of ordering a new one. This book is put out by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation.

The cost now has increased to $3.50!!! After all of these years. Any cook that enjoys fish and/or wildlife and cooking for themselves or their family/friends, will find these recipes very easy to follow. They all come from fellow Missourians. I highly recommend this book. You can order it online:

www.mdcnatureshop.com

While you are at the site, take a look at all of the other items, books, DVD's, and items for children. Again, great items by and for Missourians, for the most part.