Gooey Butter Cake

Growing up in Peoria, every special occasion at Jeni’s house was celebrated with a cake made by her mom. The nameless cake-thin, moist, buttery, and blanketed in powdered sugar-was rich and delicious, the sort of cloyingly sweet dessert where two bites is plenty, but you can’t help but finish the whole thing. Years later, while on a trip to St. Louis, Jeni walked into a bakery and realized the yellow cake with cream cheese and gooey butter smear indeed has a proper name, and has long been coveted from Peoria to St. Louis. Our Gooey Butter Cake ice cream is a riff on the regional specialty.