Gooey Butter Cake

The leaves are peaking on the ridges and the maples along the fence have gone from green to the color that has no good name — not red exactly, not orange exactly, but the particular Bergstrom maple red that I have been looking at since I was born and which exists only on these trees in this specific light. I know I am not being objective about my own maples. I do not care.

Columbus Day is next weekend and David and Karen and the children are coming for the apple picking at Shelburne Orchards. The tradition is three years old now, established the year James was born, which means this is the fourth year and therefore sufficiently established to be a tradition. I do not know exactly when something becomes a tradition rather than a habit. I know that this one is worth keeping.

This week I made Helen's maple cream pie — not for any occasion, just because it was the right thing to make on a cool October evening. The syrup was from our own trees, this past spring's batch, grade A amber, and the cream was from the dairy in Charlotte. The pie baked for forty-five minutes at 325 degrees and came out of the oven the color of a perfect autumn, which is to say it was golden-brown and sweet and smelled of everything that October means in Vermont. Helen had two slices. I had two slices. Frost received a small piece of the crust, which is all he is allowed, and was grateful for it.

I have been thinking about the Thanksgiving post. Helen says it is too early to be thinking about Thanksgiving. I said Thanksgiving requires advance preparation. She said I say that every year to justify thinking about it too early. She is correct. I do say it every year. And every year the preparation has been worth it. Two correlated facts.

Helen’s maple cream pie is a recipe I keep close, but when the season turns and the kitchen fills with that particular October chill, I find myself reaching for anything golden and yielding and warm — and this gooey butter cake delivers all of that in a way that feels just as right as the maple syrup still sitting on the counter from the pie. It has the same quality I love in that pie: a set edge and a soft, yielding center, something that tastes like it took more effort than it actually did. If you are expecting company for apple picking weekend, or if you simply need a reason to use the oven on a Tuesday, this is the recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (for crust)
3 large eggs, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (for filling)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar, sifted
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
Make the crust layer. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Stir until a soft dough forms. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Make the filling. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 eggs, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix until combined.
Add the sugar. With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar until the filling is smooth and thick.
Assemble. Pour the cream cheese filling evenly over the crust layer and spread to the edges with a spatula.
Bake. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges are set and golden and the center still has a slight wobble. Do not overbake — the gooey center is the point.
Cool and serve. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, at least 1 hour. Dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing into squares.

Nutrition (per serving)

Gooey Butter Cake — The Right Thing to Make on a Cool October Evening