Gluten Free Gooey Butter Cake (St. Louis Homemade-Style)

Name: Gluten Free Gooey Butter Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 42 min
Total time: 132 min
Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend ((196 g)); 1 cup granulated sugar ((126 g) (organic for vegan)); 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder ((10 g) (Rumford)); 1/2 teaspoon salt ((3 g)); 8 tablespoons unsalted butter* ((113 g/1 stick)); 1 large egg; 8 ounces gluten free cream cheese* ((127 g) (Philadelphia)); 2 large eggs**; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter ((113 g/1 stick)); 1 pound 16 ounces confectioners’ sugar, plus more for garnish (optional); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Popular first in the St. Louis area, and now around the country, the gluten free version of Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is now a thing. I never thought I would enjoy something so sweet, but I love it more than cookie dough! This dessert has a chewy crust at the bottom with chewy crisp edges that everyone will fight over. There is a thin crust on the top and the cream cheese filling is gooey, and a bit like cheesecake but a little softer and sweeter. It’s a rich dessert, but it’s so scrumptious, that it’s hard to stop at one piece.

The Two Versions

There is actually two versions of Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. One version is made by professional pastry chefs using corn syrup and powdered eggs. In the greater St. Louis area, you’ll find Ooey Gooey Butter Cake in every bakery and major grocery store chain such as Shnucks and Dierbergs.

The other is an easier homemade version, which includes a cake mix, fresh eggs, and cream cheese. While, I do not use packaged gluten free cake mixes, I threw together one that represents a gluten free cake mix, using my recipe for Gluten Free Boston Pie Cupcakes. I changed the recipe slightly by reducing the sugar since the filling is already super sweet. I also reduced the butter by 1 tablespoon and omitted the vanilla extract since the filling already contains some.

So, so, good!

Link You’ll Need:

Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend

Gluten Free Gooey Butter Cake

This popular St. Louis cake is now popular around the country. I think I’ll rename it chewy ooey gooey butter cake. You’ll enjoy more than cookie dough! It’s rich and very sweet.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredient Keyword butter, Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, cream cheese, granulated sugar

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 42 minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 12 minutes

Servings 12 people (not counting seconds)

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1-1/2 cups Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (196 g)
1 cup granulated sugar (126 g) (organic for vegan)
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder (10 g) (Rumford)
1/2 teaspoon salt (3 g)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter* (113 g/1 stick)
1 large egg

For the Filling:

8 ounces gluten free cream cheese* (127 g) (Philadelphia)
2 large eggs**
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (113 g/1 stick)
1 pound 16 ounces confectioners’ sugar, plus more for garnish (optional) (153 g), plus more for granish (optional) (organic for vegan)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add all of the dry ingredients for the crust (flour blend, sugar, baking powder, and salt) into the large bowl of your electric/stand mixer, fitted with the whisk/balloon attachment. Beat on low speed to combine. Scrape the bowl and mix again.
Add the 8 tablespoons of butter and 1 egg and mix until thoroughly combined. (If you own a splatter guard for your mixer add it prevent the ingredients from flying out.) Slowly increase the speed from low to medium and continue to mix until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to the prepared dish and spread out as evenly as possible. If you own a pastry roller, use it even out the top; set aside.
To Make the Filling:
Place the cream cheese in the same mixing bowl that you used for the dough (no need to wash it), but fit your mixer with the whisk attachment.
Add one egg at a time the cream cheese and mix until thoroughly combined prior to adding the second egg. Beat until creamy.
Mix in the butter, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time and beat until smooth.
Add the 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar and beat until a smooth batter forms.
Pour in the vanilla extract and beat until evenly distributed, scraping the bowl as needed.
Pour the batter on top of the dough that is resting in the dish and smooth out the top as evenly as possible. Bake on the center rack of your oven for 40 minutes, switching to the lower third of the oven the last 15 – 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Place the dish on a wire rack to cool completely. May be served warm or at room temperature. It tastes delicious either way, but it is easier to serve when it cools completely. When it is still warm, the filling oozes out quite bit, losing its height and shape.

Tips

*To Make Dairy-Free:

Use refined coconut oil in place of the oil and dairy-free cream cheese such as Tofuit brand.

**To Make Egg-Free:

To make egg-free, substitute 1 tablespoon fat such as butter or refined coconut oil for each egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of liquid from a can of cannellini beans for each egg white.

I would imagine egg replacer would work well too since it is a dense cake.

Tapioca or Corn-Free:

As stated in the all-purpose flour blend recipe, this cake may be made either corn-free or tapioca-free.

Carla

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View Comments

Kim says:

August 24, 2022 at 10:50 am

Hi! There is no egg listed under crust ingredients but the instructions say to add it. Is this correct? Thanks!
- Carla says:
  
  August 25, 2022 at 9:31 pm
  
  Kim,
  
  Sorry about that. The egg was cut off of the ingredient list but I fixed that now. Yes. The cake contains one egg.
  
  Enjoy!
  Carla
Laura says:

August 12, 2022 at 10:56 am

Hi, the recipe calls for only 2 eggs, but Step 3 of the instructions calls for another egg to be added to the crust mixture. Is this a mis-print?
- Carla says:
  
  August 25, 2022 at 9:35 pm
  
  Hi Laura,
  
  Yes. This was a misprint. The egg in the ingredient list was cut off of the bottom in error. There is one egg in the cake as the instructions indicate.
  
  Enjoy!
  Carla
Alene says:

July 29, 2020 at 2:38 pm

Can I make it smaller? I want to bring it to my midwestern friends during this quarantine. He just got out of the hospital. I've never heard of this because I am a New Englander! Thank you.
- Carla says:
  
  July 29, 2020 at 2:48 pm
  
  Alene,
  
  Yes. Use two-thirds of the ingredients and make in a 9x9-inch pan. It may be cooked a little earlier, maybe by 5 minutes.
  
  Also, be sure to print out this recipe for keeping because I retire August 10 and will remove the site on that day.
  
  Enjoy!
  Carla
Mary says:

March 6, 2020 at 8:37 am

This looks delicious! Do you spread the crust so that it goes up the sides, too?
- Carla says:
  
  March 6, 2020 at 8:45 am
  
  Mary,
  
  It was delicious. It’s really sweet as well. I didn’t think I’d like it. but all of that sugar and butter makes the edges so chewy.
  
  No. You do not go up the sides with the crust.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Carla