Gooey Butter Cake

A hallmark of the city of St. Louis, gooey butter cake almost certainly originated in the southern part of town, where most of the German bakers lived in the past. It is a flat cake consisting of wheat flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. The cake is traditionally garnished with powdered sugar and a few raspberries. Sweet, dense and firm, it is similar in texture to a brownie. Originally, it was invented by a baker in the 1930s who was making a yellow cake but put in too much sugar, butter, or shortening. As those were the times of the Depression, he couldn't throw away the gooey, sticky mess, so he sold it, and the consumers wanted more and more. Some versions of the cake incorporate cream cheese, cherries, or pineapple slices in the cake, but if you ask any St. Louisan, it's not the real deal until you try the original in St. Louis.