St. Louis may be the birthplace of gooey butter cake, but Detroit chef April Anderson, co-owner of the organic bakery Good Cakes and Bakes, has earned her place at the table. Anderson spent two years giving the soft-centered Missouri dessert her from-scratch spin. The recipe, featured in “Tasty Pride: 75 Recipes and Stories from the Queer Food Community” by Jesse Szewczyk and BuzzFeed’s Tasty (Clarkson Potter; $25), features a cup of fresh blueberries, which streak the gooey cream-cheese filling blue.
Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake
Serves 18
Ingredients:
Base
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dry milk powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, ½ cup cubed and chilled and ¼ cup melted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1 cup fresh blueberries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the short sides so it’s easy to lift out the cake after baking.
Make the base: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, milk powder, baking powder, salt and ½ cup chilled butter. Mix on medium speed until the butter breaks down to small, pea-sized pieces, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, ¼ cup melted butter, and the egg and mix to incorporate. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer using clean hands sprayed with nonstick spray. Transfer to the freezer. Clean the stand mixer bowl and paddle.
Make the filling: In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway, until pale yellow but still chunky. Add the lemon extract and zest and mix on medium-high speed for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the filling is completely smooth. With the mixer running on low speed, add the confectioners’ sugar, a third at a time, and continue mixing until there are no lumps. Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula. Pour the filling over the base and spread in an even layer.
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is lightly golden. Let the cake cool for at least 2 hours, lift the cake out of the pan, then dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and slice into 18 pieces.
— From “Tasty Pride: 75 Recipes and Stories from the Queer Food Community” by Jesse Szewczyk and BuzzFeed’s Tasty (Clarkson Potter; $25)
