In corner number one, we have Bake Sale.
My mission: bake up as many treats as I can to send to work with Ben for a bake sale for his unit.
In corner number two, Operation Baking Gals.
This week is Round 3 for bakers all over to send treats off to deployed service members to brighten their day and say thank you (because what better way to make someone feel good than with boxes upon boxes of baked goods?).
I couldn't say no to either cause. So, it was time to get down and dirty (and chocolately, buttery, and sticky) in the kitchen. After much flipping through cookbooks and browsing my favorite food blogs, muttering to myself, smacking my lips and saying "Ooooh, that looks so good" more than a few times, I narrowed it down to three recipes that I would bake and then split between the two causes.
First, we had Brrrrr-ownies from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours
and Coconut Caramel Pecan Shortbread that made me want to lick the screen over at Vanilla Sugar
But they weren't the stars of the show. Oh no. That honor goes to my very special Gooey Butter Cake. Oh yes, you heard me right. Gooey. Butter. Cake.
This is the one recipe I have that guarantees to make everyone in its path stop and melt into a puddle of "ohmygahhhitssogoodwhatisitsogoodsogoodahhhh". It will also probably be the cause of many cases of heart disease among my friends and family, so if you're watching what you eat, just plug your ears, close your eyes, and ignore how insanely bad for you these little slices of deliciousness are. And have another piece. At least you'll die fat and happy.
So here's the recipe. I tend to think of it as my secret weapon, but I've shared it so much already, and it's so easy to google, that I might as well put it out there. Hopefully my biggest fans won't read this and discover how insanely easy it is to make.
Gooey Butter Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 t almond extract
4 cups of confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease one 9x13 cake pan.
Melt butter. Empty cake mix into a large bowl. Stir melted butter, along with one egg, into the cake mix. Press mixture into pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, almond extract, confectioners sugar and the remaining two eggs. Beat for three minutes with an electric mixer set on medium high speed. Spread over top of the cake mixture in the pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown on top. Allow cake to cool. Eat. Eat some more. Mmmm. So good.
I know already that all three treats were quickly devoured at the bake sale, and I hope the troops on the receiving end of Operation Baking Gals enjoy them as much as the troops here did!
3 comments:
Mmmm, gooey, butter cake, yummy! The pecan bars sound good too.
Hello Ellen!
I am a fellow team member on the Spatulas & Corkscrews team. I just had to tell you that Gooey Butter Cake is SO DELICIOUS! I live near St. Louis Missouri, and this is the area known for Gooey Butter Cake. Did you know that there is also a recipe for Gooey Butter Cookies? I actually considered making them to send out in my package. They are also GREAT! You should try them!
I actually lived in St Louis for a while; that's when I got addicted to Gooey Butter Cake. And then once we moved away, my husband kept craving it, dreaming of it, mourning its loss, etc, so I found a recipe and started making it.
I've never tried the cookies, though, or the other variations I've seen, like Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. It just doesn't seem right to mess with the original St Louis tradition. :)
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