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.