Gooey Butter Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back

Gooey Butter Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back is filed under Cakes and built around milk warm, water, and active dry yeast. Plan on 12 slices.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, 1 hour of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the cake

• 3 tablespoons milk warm
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

For the topping

• 3 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons
• confectioners’ sugar

How the cooking goes

To make the cake

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water and milk. You can add some of the sugar if you want. You just sprinkled some in while It was measuring!
2. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt until lightened. There isn’t enough sugar to make it “light and fluffy.”.
3. Put the egg and beat it in. Softened butter will make this step much easier. the “ambient temperature” was on the cold side so the butter was soft but still cold. Amazing for cookies but less than ideal here. You ended up needing to add the flour with little lumps of butter. It’s fine, don’t stress about it.
4. Slowly add the flour with the mixer running on low then add the yeast mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. It isn’t going to make a “dough”, but you’ll see strands pulling away from the sides then then mixing back in, which takes about 2-3 minutes. Don’t stress about this either.
5. Press or spread dough into greased 9×13 inch baking pan. You used about 1 tablespoon of additional softened butter to oil the pan and then sprayed both sides of a small offset spatula with cooking spray to spread out the dough in the pan being sure to get enough by the edges and corners.
6. Cover and proof until doubled. It is difficult to tell when it has doubled but it will take about 1 ½ – 2 hours with active dry yeast and about 1 hour with instant yeast.
7. Heat the oven to 375°F.

Prepare the topping

1. In a small bowl, mix corn syrup, water and vanilla. Keep it to one side.
2. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until a thick paste forms.
3. Add the egg and continue to beat until lightened and incorporated.
4. Reduce the mixer to low and slowly add the flour and salt. This will look (and taste) like sugar cookie dough!
5. Once those have completely incorporated, add the corn syrup mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until incorporated.
6. Dollop the sugar batter over the surface of the risen dough. There is enough batter to almost completely cover it even before spreading. Then use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the sugar mixture over the top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until light deep gold. Rotate after 20 minutes. It was a deep gold but darker brown around the edges and a little in the bubbled center. It puffed and set. It still moved in a cohesive mass like cheesecake.
8. Cool completely then dust generously with confectioners’ sugar.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Cakes, open Classic Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Baked Until the Center Springs Back and Moist Chocolate Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back.