National Gooey Butter Cake Day (August 12th)

A delightful dessert hailing from the Midwestern states, gooey butter cake is a flat, dense cake that is… well, it’s buttery and gooey, just like the name suggests! Typically served as a coffee cake, this beloved dessert that may have started by accident has made its way into the hearts, kitchens, and tummies of so many delighted people over the years. 

National Gooey Butter Cake Day is here to show some love and appreciation for this tasty dessert!

History of National Gooey Butter Cake Day

The story goes that gooey butter cake was invented in the 1930s and may have started out as an accident which took place in a bakery in St. Louis, Missouri, owned by John Hoffman, a German American. It seems that there was a mix up in the proportions of what was supposed to be a regular cake mix recipe. Some say that the proportions of butter and flour were swapped by a new baker, resulting in an unexpected gooey, butter concoction. 

Since the baking mistake took place during the Great Depression when supplies were very low, there was no way the cakes would be thrown out simply because of a mistake. They were served to the public anyway and the customers liked them so much that the gooey butter cake was born. Today, this cake is served all throughout bakeries in and around the St. Louis area.

National Gooey Butter Cake Day was founded in 2019 by Schnucks Markets, a supermarket retailer that is headquartered in St. Louis. The purpose of the day is to tell the story of this delightful little mishap that has been pleasing taste buds for many decades, encouraging people from all over to enjoy and celebrate this treat!

How to Celebrate National Gooey Butter Cake Day

Appreciate this delicious treat by celebrating National Gooey Butter Cake Day in some of these ways:

Enjoy Some Gooey Butter Cake

The best way to participate in the day is to invite a friend and order up some slices of gooey butter cake to enjoy. Those who live in the St. Louis area shouldn’t have trouble finding it in local bakeries and grocery stores throughout the area. Grab a fork and get ready to enjoy some gooey, buttery goodness!

Try Making Gooey Butter Cake

People who have a penchant for baking, or those who want to celebrate National Gooey Butter Cake Day but live in a place where it isn’t served, could try making their own version of this cake at home. Many Recipes for this traditional recipe can be found online. Some of them make it super simple by starting with a boxed yellow cake mix.

Visit St. Louis for Gooey Butter Cake

Those who are looking to make a real celebration out of National Gooey Butter Cake Day might want to take this opportunity to pay a visit to the Midwestern metropolitan area where the cake came from. Visit the impressive Gateway Arch and corresponding museum, enjoy some iconic music (think Chuck Berry’s hometown), or take a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and get a feel for the background of the city. Of course, it would also be important to find out exactly which bakery serves the best gooey butter cake!