Weekly Recipe: St. Louis Ooey Gooey Berry Butter Cake

I fondly remember the first time I came across the recipe for Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.  I think I made it no less than 5 times in the first couple of months after discovering it.  Any time I had to take a dessert somewhere and I wanted to ensure rave reviews, I'd take that cake.  Then I stopped using box mixes and the days of the OGMC also came to an end.

Thanks to the internet (internets if you prefer), someone solved the world's problems (or at least mine) and came up with a non-cake mix version of the recipe.  Glory day!  It's only taken me a couple of years to finally get around to trying this version but it was worth the wait.  It's not quite as decadent as the original (far less butter) but it's every bit as creamy and cakey and delicious.

I had some raspberries from our CSA that were a bit too sour to eat on their own, so I was looking for a way to use them up.  I came across this recipe in my Word file and I thought it sounded perfect.  I altered the berry combination to include raspberries instead of blackberries and didn't use quite as many as the original recipe called for.  

This cake is best served at room temperature and best if eaten within the first 2 days of making.  After those first 2 days, the cake absorbs some of the ooey and becomes much less gooey.  It's still totally edible and don't think I didn't eat it.  

There's another version of this recipe without the berries and I'd like to try that sometime too.  Until then, enjoy the last of the season's berries and whip up this cake tonight!

St Louis Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

adapted from The Review Lady who got it from a Cooking Light message board

5 tablespoons melted butter (no substitutes)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted after measuring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries

Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan with removable rim (I used a springform cheesecake pan). In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and 1 egg until pale and thickened. Beat in sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder and soda in a separate bowl and then beat the flour mixture into butter mixture until smooth. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until cake is pale golden and springs back slightly when gently pressed, approximately 15 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 20 to 25 minutes, but due to dry cake reports and the fact that it will continue to cook in the next step, I took it out after 15 minutes.)

While the cake is in the oven, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and remaining egg in a medium bowl until smooth. When the cake is removed from the oven, spread this mixture over the cake and arrange berries on top. Bake until edges of topping are set and lightly browned, but center still jiggles when pan is gently shaken, 25 to 30 minutes. 

This week I'm linking up to Jam Hands, Remodelholic, The Lady Behind the Curtain, and This Chick Cooks.