Gooey Butter Cake

Submitted by Katie Yates

“Gooey Butter cake!!!! Sometimes called the Ooey, Gooey butter cake. Whenever I make this, I kid you not, Colby will eat the entire thing in a day! My mom’s family is from St. Louis and the Gooey Butter cake originated there.  My grandmother and grandfather are German as well, their family settled in St. Louis when they came over from Germany. Ironically, the story goes that the cake was made (in the 1930s) on accident by a German baker who was trying to make a regular cake batter but switched up the proportions of butter and flour.  This baking mistake was made during the great depression so supplies for baking where very low.  Instead of throwing it out he served it up and it’s been a perfect accident ever since.  It’s not a formal dessert but is an easy square finger food dessert around the holidays.“

-KATIE YATES

Katie is married to former PBR Bull Rider & now television commentator, Colby Yates. They have a son named Cutter and live in Texas.

Enjoy this brief history of Katie’s life as she paints a picture of growing up in a Mississippi farming family.

“I was born and raised in Mississippi to a 3rd generation farmer ( we farmed cotton, then corn and wheat when the prices of cotton when down) and trucking family (it was cheaper to haul your own loads than to pay someone, kind of cut out the middle man you know). 

Colby and I have this inside joke, I always say, “I was raised in the country, you were raised in Fort Worth.”  I had never been to Fort Worth growing up but just imagined it to be nothing but countryside…..boy was I wrong, haha.  I was raised where my grandmother (my dad’s mom) would make 3 large meals a day.  The men never went out to the field on an empty stomach and then she would take them lunch during the day and then they would come in for supper and depending on the season go straight back out to the fields or call it a night because the sun was already set. 

Every Friday night we would have a fish fry (from fish that we caught in our pond) with at least 4 to 5 vegetables.  It would always be my grandparents and aunt and uncle and then Dr. Coghlan and his wife and son.  He was the local Doctor in town and had the neighboring land next to us, he also delivered my sister when she was born.  These Friday fish fries went on probably until I got to high school (I was in the band and cheered so friday night lights it was) and my grandfather passed away.  I always say that they picked Colby out for me, because we never would have met, our paths crossed at the right time at a random place in Florida.  But he was the type of man that I know they would have approved of for sure.”

Check out Katie’s other two recipes here:

• Rosemary Bread
• Hot Hot

Gooey Butter Cake

Recipe by Katie Yates Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Cake for a crust and a gooey, soft, buttery cream cheese layer

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Yellow cake mix

• 1 Egg

• 1/2 Cup of Margarine or Butter

• 1 (1 pound) box powdered sugar (save a little for sprinkling on top)

• 2 eggs

• 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese

Directions

• Mix the first three ingredients together.
• Press into a 9×13 inch pan.
• Mix together the remaining ingredients for 5 minutes, using a mixer.
• Pour over cake mix mixture in pan.
• Bake for 40 to 45 min at 350.
• Once cooled, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the top and cut into small squares.