Gooey Is in the Eye of the Beholder: Gooey Cinnamon Squares

A few weeks ago, David Lebovitz blogged about a recipe from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for "Gooey Cinnamon Cake." I was intrigued because the photos accompanying David's post appeared to show an ordinary cake, but he described it as "wildly addictive" and "quite an amazing cake." I also had never heard of (and certainly never tasted) the St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake that inspired this dessert, so I had no concept of how this cake would taste. I had already decided that I would have to try the recipe and then I saw that Deb Perelman had contributed this same recipe to an Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) cookie swap featured in Ladies' Home Journal. That sealed the deal, I had to make the cake immediately.

This cake is easy. You make a bottom layer (Perelman calls it a "soft cookie base") by creaming butter and sugar, adding an egg and milk, and then incorporating dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt). You spread the mixture into a parchment-lined pan. Then you make the "gooey layer" by creaming butter, sugar, and salt, adding an egg, and alternately incorporating flour and liquid ingredients (corn syrup, milk, and vanilla). You spread this mixture over the cookie base, sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar, and bake.

The recipe says to bake the cake until "the edges have set and center is still gooey, about 35 minutes." I checked the cake at 35 minutes, and the center of the cake was already set and not gooey at all. I'm not sure if I overcooked it and completely missed the boat on what a gooey cake is supposed to be. After the cake cooled, I cut it and I couldn't see the difference between the two layers unless I looked really hard; the bottom layer was a shade whiter. But it's not at all obvious -- by sight or taste -- that this cake consists of two different layers, and the bottom layer does not resemble a cookie in the slightest.

To me, this cake tastes like a snickerdoodle in cake form. The top has a nice crust on it from the cinnamon sugar. The cake is moist and buttery. And even though I might have overcooked the cake, the top layer did have a touch of gooey-ness. To me, it seemed like the texture of a hot cookie or cake straight out of the oven that is barely holding together because it hasn't fully set yet. It's really delicious. I also found that the cake seemed to be more gooey (and I though more tasty) on the second day.

I definitely want to try making this cake again, and checking on it a few minutes earlier to see I can get it really gooey -- but even exactly as it was, it was delicious.

Recipe: "Gooey Cinnamon Squares" from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, recipe available here at Ladies' Home Journal.