St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

I made this cake for my husband for Valentine's Day.

The recipe:

Ingredients

Cake:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 extra large egg
Topping:
• 8-oz package cream cheese
• 2 extra large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 16 ounces confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Instructions

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan
2. For the cake, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, melted butter and egg. Add in flour mixture then spread on bottom of the baking dish.
3. For the topping, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Reserve two tablespoons of confectioners sugar for finishing. Add remaining confectioners sugar to cream cheese mixture along with melted butter. Pour over top of cake dough, spreading evenly over the entire surface of cake. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until top is set and obtains a golden brown crust but is still gooey and soft. Remove from the oven and cool. Sprinkle top of cake with reserved confectioners sugar. Cut cake into 16 squares.

I placed a piece of waxed paper over the cake portion and pushed it into place.

Pour the topping over the base.

This is what it looks like out of the oven.

Let it cool and then sprinkle it with the powdered sugar.

It has a shortbread like bottom.

And a gooey buttery vanilla center.   Very easy to make.