Gooey Butter Cake

Serves 24

Ingredients

Cake Batter

  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

  • ½ cup oat flour

  • 1½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp amaretto (optional)
  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 
⅔ cup sugar

  • 3 large eggs

Gooey Butter Topping

  • 12 tbsp (1½ sticks) butter, melted, still warm but not hot
  • 2½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 3 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 
1½ cups sugar
  • 
1 large egg
  • 1 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Optional for Serving

  • confectioners sugar
  • fresh berries

Equipment

  • 9" x 13" baking dish
  • stand mixer with paddle attachment

How-to

Mix Batter

  1. Heat oven to 370º
  2. Grease a 9" x 13" pan with butter
  3. Combine the two flours, baking powder and salt (dry ingredients) in one bowl, and the milk, vanilla and optional amaretto (wet ingredients) in another
  4. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream butter and sugar
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs
  6. Next, alternately add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry, mixing on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition
  7. Transfer batter to another bowl and set aside
  8. Scrape down the mixing bowl and beaters, but do not worry about cleaning them for the next step, which is making the topping

Make Topping & Bake

  1. Melt the butter. Assure that it is warm but not too hot before adding to the other ingredients
  2. In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine melted butter, sugar, honey, water, vanilla and salt and mix until smooth
  3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg
  4. Scrape down the sides of bowl again and add flour, mixing until just combined
  5. Pour cake batter into the prepared baking dish and level out. Pour topping evenly over the cake and use an offset spatula to gently spread it smooth
  6. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes (rotating the pan at 15 minutes) or until golden around edges and in spots around the top. The cake will rise and fall in waves and will still be liquid in the center when done
  7. Allow to cool in pan completely before slicing (this is very important, or the layers will not stay intact)

Serving Suggestion - When cake has cooled, slice and serve with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar and fresh berries