Thanks for taking the time to share your family’s method. I love hearing how recipes like gooey butter cake are passed down and adapted through generations. This is the version I tested and developed for my readers, so some of my instructions may differ from the way your family has always made it. I recommend refrigeration for storage because of the cream cheese filling, but I completely understand that many St. Louis families store and serve theirs differently. Your tip about keeping the cake layer even, especially in the corners, is a helpful one. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Your recipe is decent but, …..we need to get a few things straight.
You’re obviously not a St Louis native. I am. Me, my wife, my mother, my grandmother, and now my granddaughter have been perfecting this recipe for generations.
1.) your wrong, Gooey Butter Cake does NOT need to be refrigerated ! You actually are damaging the texture of the cake. And NEVER freeze it.
2.) the St Louis texture that you’re referring to is part of the original cake recipe it’s what makes it a St Louis phenomenon.
When the cake is finished it should have a slightly crackled top layer of caramelized sugars. It’s one of the things that make it so special. And your baking time is too long you need to back that off by about 5 to 10 minutes shut the oven off and let it sit in there it will continue to cook to perfection that way. Everything else you said including your ingredients are pretty spot on there’s a few tweaks that make it St Louis style versus yours but they’re not big changes. An extra half a stick of butter would help. It will also help the cake layer from getting to dry. A tip that you should be telling your readers is to not get the cake layers too thick especially in the corners. It needs to be a thin and smooth consistency the same thing you put on the bottom you should put on the walls and the corners. People have a tendency to push their extra dough into the corners and it makes too thick it with a 13×9 pan you’re going to have four dried corners.

Thank you for such a great review. I’m so happy you loved it, especially that little crusty layer on the bottom. White cake mix works perfectly, and the yellow will give it a touch more richness next time. Your State Fair comment absolutely made my day.