Gooey Butter Cake

Active Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 15 mins

Servings:

12 servings

Our version of gooey butter cake includes a hint of salt in the shortbread-like crust to balance the custardy sweet filling, which is made with brown butter for extra richness.

Frequently asked questions

What is gooey butter cake?

Gooey butter cake was created — by accident — by a baker in St. Louis who made a mistake when measuring the amount of butter in one of his cake recipes. That mistake became a hit when he sold the cake by the piece, and a classic Midwestern cake was born.

How do you make brown butter?

Browning is one of the best things you can do to butter to improve your baking. To make brown butter, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until butter starts to foam and turn brown, about five to 10 minutes, depending on the amount of butter you use. The butter will melt and then foam up; you can spoon the foam off the top if it doesn’t subside. As soon as the butter turns brown and begins to smell nutty, pull it off the heat; the butter will continue to brown, and keeping it on the heat means you risk burning it. If you are browning butter to use in baking, transfer it while hot to a heat-proof bowl and chill it so that it solidifies.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To cool the brown butter quickly and cut down on the overall time to make this recipe, place the browned butter in a freezer-proof bowl, and freeze it for about 30 minutes. Then place the bowl with the solidified butter in a larger bowl filled with warm water for 10 seconds to release the butter.

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Ingredients

Crust

Cooking spray
1 cup (about 4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling

3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (about 4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk (from 1 [12-ounce] can)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Flaky sea salt

Directions

Prepare the Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, and line pan using parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in butter cubes until mixture is crumbly. Stir in egg until a rough dough forms. Using your hands, form a ball; transfer to prepared baking pan. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, press dough to evenly cover bottom of baking pan, adding flour to hands as needed. Chill until ready to use.

Prepare the Filling

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter starts to foam and turns brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour into a heatproof glass bowl; cover and chill until solidified, about 1 hour. (For quicker cooling, place in a freezer-proof bowl, and freeze about 30 minutes. If needed, place bowl with solidified butter in a large bowl filled with warm water for 10 seconds.)
Beat butter and brown sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add egg and vanilla; beat until combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl if needed. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and evaporated milk until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Beat in corn syrup until combined, about 15 seconds.
Transfer Filling to prepared baking pan, and spread evenly over crust. Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown and center is almost set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Evenly sprinkle flakey sea salt over top. Let cool at room temperature, about 1 hour. Cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.