Gooey Butter Cake

Prepare the baking dish: Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter. Set it aside.

Make the yeasted dough: In a small bowl, combine the warm milk and yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast should bubble on top and that is how you know it is active and good to use.

Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Turn the mixer off and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.

Add the yeast and flour: With the mixer running on low, add the flour in three additions, alternating with the yeast mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Continue to beat the ingredients together, about 4 minutes.

Let the dough rise: Press the dough into the prepared baking dish making sure it goes all the way to edges. Cover the dish with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I do not recommend the dough rising in the refrigerator overnight. It will be a very thin layer of dough once you spread it out. It’ll bake up quickly and absorb the buttery topping.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Do this about 15 minutes before the dough is done rising.

Make the buttery topping: In a medium bowl, whisk the corn syrup, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set it aside.  In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in three additions, alternating with the corn syrup mixture, starting and ending with the flour, until combined.

Spoon gooey topping over the dough: Spoon the batter on top of the yeasted dough and use the back of the spoon to evenly spread it out to the edges.

Bake the cake: Bake the cake until light golden brown on top, jiggly in the center, and the edges are firm and have pulled away from the dish, 35 to 40 minutes. The cake will set and firm up as it cools, so it is okay for the center to jiggly just a little. If you bake it until the center is set and firm, the cake is overbaked.

Cool and serve: Allow the cake to fully cool on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar then slice into squares to serve.  Serve at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. Resist the urge to pop them in the fridge. It'll firm up too much. If you do refrigerate, bring to room temperature before serving. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!