Lost and Found Gooey Butter Cake

I had been searching for this cake recipe for 5 years.  And it ended up being right under my nose the entire time.  Gooey butter cake was, up until yesterday, a distant memory.  It happened by accident.  I opened the cookbook and it was like a child opening up a magic book in the movies, the kid opens the book and light spills out and his or her mouth is agape.  That is how it happened (pretty much).

I fell in love with butter cake ten years ago.  I worked for an office and we had fabulous parties.  A dear woman brought in this cake for one of our potlucks and we (the office staff) begged her to bring it in for every party after that. I would come home singing the cake’s praises to my family.  I know she wrote the recipe down for me a few times.   I misplaced it a few times.  A lot can happen between your purse and your desk.  Alas, when I moved on to a new job, the recipe didn’t move with me. 

Enter Paula Deen.  Butter cake is, evidently, one of her signature recipes.  (Did I mention I live under a rock?)  I found the recipe while I was flipping through the pages of her bestselling cookbook, “Paula Deen’s Kitchen Classics”.  There it was! Right in front of me!  (OK, to be honest, I really haven’t been searching that hard)  But, I still absolutely love the cake and now my family will too!

Gooey Butter Cake

*Paula does give different variations of this cake.  I stuck with the original because it is my absolute favorite.  I think I will go get a piece right now.

Cake

One 18 ¼ ounce yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine ingredients and mix will.  Pat into a lightly greased 13x9-inch cake pan.  Prepare filling.

Filling

One 8-ounce cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons (1 stick), melted

One 16 ounce box powdered sugar ( I measured out 2 cups)

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add butter, beat.  Add powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake mixture.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not over bake.