Gooey Butter Cake

There are certain things that are St. Louis. Toasted ravioli, super thin pizza with provel cheese and gooey butter cake. For those who don't know what it is you are seriously missing out and you need to make it right away so that you might experience the glory.
Now there are two main distinctions in the gooey butter recipes. There is the official recipe and there is the church cookbook style recipe. There are a lot of differences between the two and I will list both but I have not made the traditional style one, I will simply list it for those who wish to know the difference. I use the church cookbook style gooey butter recipe because I like it better and it is easier with less ingredients. This is what works best for me, it is from three different recipes that I messed with until I was happy.


MY GOOEY BUTTER CAKE RECIPE

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 stick butter (softened)
2 3/4 C powdered sugar (plus some for sprinkling on top)
1 t vanilla
1 package cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, cake mix and two eggs until well blended. Grease a 9 x 13" pan and pat cake mix into the bottom of the pan. It will be very thick. Mix 2 eggs, powdered sugar, vanilla and cream cheese. Pour mixture on top of the cake mix in the pan. Bake for 20 -25 minutes. While still hot, sprinkle on powdered sugar. Let cool completely before cutting.

TRADITIONAL GOOEY BUTTER CAKE RECIPE.

Again, I have not tried this, it is more for reference to see the difference in the recipes.

For crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened

For filling:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

1. Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Pat into the bottom and sides of a greased 9-by-9-by-2-inch pan.

2. Prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups sugar and 3/4 cup butter until light and fluffy. Mix in egg until combined. A bit at a time, alternately add 1 cup flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended.

3. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set. Do not overcook. Let cool in pan