I don’t know if I’ve ever had as much fun developing a recipe as I did with this confetti gooey butter cake, which is inspired by the classic Midwestern dessert. The abundance of rainbow sprinkles largely contributes to the fun factor, but I have to say that eating the cake and researching this recipe were really fun as well.
Just like the classic version of gooey butter cake, my confetti gooey butter cake has a crisp, yet chewy cake base and a gooey, buttery cake layer on top that develops a crackly texture as it cools. To finish it off, I like to use my favorite dusting wand from OXO to sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cooled gooey butter cake. The final result turned out to be my inner child’s dream—bursting with color and texture, and easy to eat on the go. Be warned that this cake may lead to excessive, child-like giddiness.
Where is gooey butter cake from?
The first ever gooey butter cake was supposedly made in St. Louis. It was born out of a bakery mistake during World War II. In an attempt to make a traditional German yeasted coffee cake, a baker mistakenly used the wrong ratios and added way too much butter to the topping. It must have felt almost criminal to throw a cake full of rationed goods away during war times, so the bakery went ahead and sold the “mistake cake.” Much to their surprise, it was a total hit!
