St. Louis, Missouri, is no stranger to revolutionary sweets. At the famed 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, crisp, caramelized waffle cones, toasty peanut butter, and fine-spun cotton candy (originally called fairy floss) all made splashy Stateside debuts, changing the American comfort food scene forever. Even with this illustrious food history, only one grand St. Louis dessert bears the city’s name: The St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake.
This unabashedly decadent cake has a deceptively humble appearance. Similar to a chess pie, a rippled, sunken blanket of custard lies over a bed of yeasted cake, all covered in a final snowy coat of confectioners’ sugar. A slightly chewy, slightly sticky texture combines with a pure butter-rich flavor for an instantly addictive sweet, pushing you to eat slice after slice. You’ll search for…
