A couple days ago my friend and I were complaining to each other about being pregnant. Sheโs about a trimester behind me, so sheโs just getting out of the I-want-to-throw-up-stage while Iโm entering the watermelon-on-stilts-phase. (TMI? Sorry.)
Then we felt bad for being whiny, so we started talking about all the people who have it way worse than us. I told her about my sister Nikki, who gets varicose veins. Sheโs basically in constant pain when sheโs pregnant, especially when she is standing. By the time she was pregnant with her 5th last year, she got to the point that she needed to bring along a camp chair on her weekly trip to Walmart. Whenever she got to the point that it was too painful to stand, she would set up her chair in an empty aisle and pretend to look over her shopping list while her kids played in the vicinity. After I told her this story my friend said โNo way! Did she make it onto People of Walmart?โ
Hereโs the best part. Today is Nikkiโs birthday. (Happy birthday!) I open up my Facebook this morning to see this on her status: โFor my birthday Iโd like to make the People of Walmart site finally. Any suggestions?โ The first comment is from her: โIn re-reading this, maybe I should check to make sure Iโm not already on the site actually.โ Best of luck Nikki.
I tried to think of some way to make this cake look more appetizing. Not that it looks bad, I just feel like the photo does it no justice. This cake is incredible. I canโt even really give a comparison because Iโve never tasted anything like it. Just imagine the most delicious cake youโve ever had, topped withโฆgooey-ness. Not frosting. Just vanilla-y amazingness. This helps:
Santa brought me some vanilla bean paste in my stocking (thanks Santa, you know me well!) It is my new best friend. The original recipe calls for regular vanilla, but I decided to use this. It was awesome. Donโt shy away from making this if you donโt have any paste, but if you do have some, by all means use it! Happy baking everyone, and try to keep yourself off the People of Walmart site. Unless itโs part of your New Year resolution, of course.
Gooey Butter Cake
Source: Annieโs Eats, Smitten Kitchen, originally printed in the NY Times
Makes a 9 x 13-inch cake.
For the cake:
3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons warm water (105-110ห F)
1ยพ teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1ยพ cups all-purpose flour
For the gooey butter topping:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract OR 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
12 tablespoons (ยพ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1ยฝ cups sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar, to serve
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.* Combine the milk, water, and yeast in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. (If you donโt happen to have room temperature milk, the microwave works great.) Mix to dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside to let foam slightly.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg. Beginning and ending with the flour, alternately add the flour and the milk mixture, until a smooth dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and with wet fingers, stretch the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until puffed and about doubled in volume, approximately 2-3 hours. I turned my oven to 170ห, turned it off, then put the dough in.
Preheat the oven to 350ห F. (Take the pan out first if it is rising in the oven!) To make the topping, combine the corn syrup, water and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk to blend. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend in the egg. Alternately add the flour and the corn syrup mixture until just smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Drop large dollops of the topping over the surface of the dough and gently spread the topping into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. The edges will be brown and set, but the center will still be light and gooey. Allow to cool briefly in the pan before slicing and serving, at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if you want.
*If you use a metal pan, your cake crust will brown more. Maybe next time I will use a glass dish, but I didnโt think it was overdone in a metal dish. I baked for about 28 minutes.
I seriously laughed so hard reading this. I hope Nikkiโs dreams come true. I hold Nikki up as my role model, like, โOh well if Nikki did it, then itโs perfectly acceptable.โ I donโt know if she realizes sheโs setting the standard for my motherly expectations of normalcy.
Well bring out the camp chairs at Walmart then, Sarah! Nikki says itโs okay!
I didnโt even know there was a thing called vanilla bean paste. See? Your blog is very educational. (This is how I justify cruising the internet when I should be cleaning my house.)
I canโt claim to be educational (unless youโre looking for tips on how to not end up on the People of Walmart site) but hopefully my blog is a step up from folding socks. At least I THINK thatโs why there are dirty socks everywhereโฆ
Love the story about Nikki. Sheโs way to normal to make the โPeople of Walmartโ youtube. Iโve seen it. Nikki doesnโt even come close in my opinion.
Now to the Gooey Butter Cake: the only Gooey Butter Cake I know about is the recipe I saw Paula Dean make. It looks kind of like yours. But itโs different. Haha. You mix a cake mix, butter and an egg for the crust and pat it into the pan, then mix cream cheese, eggs, butter and powdered sugar for the filling and . . . Gooey Butter Cake! Thereโs a chocolate variety, a peanut butter variety, a toffee variety . . well, you get the drift. Itโs awesomely buttery and very gooey. Iโve made it for potluck many times and itโs quite popular on the dessert table. Your โGooey Butter Cakeโ looks amazingly delicious also, Karen. I may take this Gooey Butter Cake to potluck this week.
PS Did I tell you I loved the picture of Charlotte stuck in her crib? If I did, Iโm telling you again.
Yeah, I heard that there was a cake mix version, I will have to try that out one day. Although itโs going to be hard to beat this one.
I was sure hordes of the well-intended would stop to ask about my health. You know, me being eight-months-or-whatever pregnant, seated on a BYU folding camp chair, my three arguing kids running a muck (I was actually due with Carter, not Graham). It turns out that the well-intended shop at Target. No one even made eye contact with me!
Yes, I think youโre right, all the good people are over at Target. All you get at Walmart are jokesters taking pictures of you while youโre picking your wedgie.