There are a few things I don’t like to eat (well, more than a few), and most of them center around dairy products: Yogurt. Most cheeses. Sour cream. Plain milk. You get the picture. If it’s too creamy, too tangy, too unctuous, I’ll put my hand over my plate and say No, thanks. S, on the other hand, is a dairy farmer’s dream: he can’t get enough of the stuff. Perhaps this explains his high cholesterol.
When S first discovered my love of baking, he eagerly described to me a delicacy of his south Jersey childhood, a treat his father introduced to him called Philadelphia German Butter Cake. I’d never heard of it, which surprised me—I’m a wee bit vain about my knowledge of regional food specialties, at least in the northeast—but S made it out to be something of a touchstone for him, the food item that encapsulated memories of his youth, but one he hadn’t tasted in decades. A Madeleine, a Rosebud. Dare I say it: a Holy Grail.
I did some research and found a recipe online, and baked it as a gift for our first Hanukkah together. During the preparation I became distraught more than once, convinced that either the recipe was wrong or I’d made some horrible mistake. The cake never seemed to bake through; the top layer was a pretty golden brown but even the slightest movement left it shaking and rippling like loose jello. When the edges were on the verge of burning I pulled it from the oven and left it to cool. Twenty minutes later I returned and nearly cried: the center had collapsed entirely, like a soufflé that’s been banged on a counter. When I presented it to S, it was more to show him that I’d tried, not because I thought he’d actually like it.
The man nearly died with happiness. Who knew—this is exactly what a Philadelphia German Butter Cake is supposed to look like. Eagerly, he cut into it. A great rush of buttery goo oozed out from the wound. I was appalled; S was thrilled.
He ate enthusiastically that December, polishing off an entire 9 x 13 cake in a matter of days. I declined to taste it—it looked a little too much like bodily fluids to me, and besides, if it turned out I liked it that wouldn’t exactly be a good thing anyway. I’d only eat it, and trust me, this is devastatingly fattening. It’s called BUTTER CAKE, for crying out loud. After that happy Hanukkah, S and I agreed this particular treat should be reserved for only the most special occasions.
The Eagles making the Superbowl after a 24-year drought surely counts as such an occasion. S doesn’t watch much sports, and had only followed the team’s march to victory through his brother’s excitement, but when an epochal event like this happens, you just can’t pass it by. As I type S is driving down to his brother’s in south Jersey, Butter Cake on the seat beside him. The plan is to watch the game at the local pub, along with thousands of other eager, on-their-way-to-drunk fans, eat chicken wings, and gorge on Butter Cake.
I figure, if I only have to bake it once every 24 years, that’s fine with me.
Last night S had to “sample” the cake, to make sure it was good enough to take down to its Land of Origin. He started out eating like a regular human, with a decent-sized forkful…
…but once he got a taste of that gooey, disgusting cake, he was a goner.
Philadelphia German Butter Cake
[I found the same recipe on at least a dozen sites, so I don't know who deserves the credit, exactly...]
Serves 10-12
For the Cake:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable shortening (not butter flavored)
¼ t. salt
1 large egg
1 envelope active dry yeast [I used 2 t. SAF instant yeast]
½ cup warm milk [110 degrees, if you’re using active dry yeast & have a thermometer]
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 T. pure vanilla extract
For the Topping:
½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2/3 cup flour
2 cups extra finely granulated sugar [I put 2 c. sugar in my food processor and whiz it around for a few seconds]
2 large eggs
4-5 T. milk
Make dough:
If using active dry yeast, dissolve in warm milk and set aside to proof. [If using instant yeast, skip this step.]
With a mixer, combine sugar, shortening, and salt. Add egg and beat 1 minute. Add flour, then milk/yeast mixture and vanilla to sugar mix. [If you’re using instant yeast, combine it with the flour first.] Mix 3 minutes with dough hook or by hand.
Turn dough out onto floured board and knead 1 minute. Put into a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Meanwhile prepare the topping:
Cream butter. Stir together flour and sugar. Gradually beat sugar/flour mixture into butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk by teaspoonful to bring the mixture to an easy spreading consistency. Do not make it too runny.
When dough has doubled in size:
Preheat oven to 375.
Decide if you’ll be using two well-greased 8-inch square pans, or one 9×13-inch pan [I use one big one]. If using two pans, divide dough in half. Roll or pat dough to fit bottom of pan(s). Crimp edges half way up the pan to hold the topping.
Prick dough well with a fork to prevent bubbling.
Put topping on cake, and spread over the dough. Let cake rest for 20 minutes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Do not overbake: topping should be crusty but gooey.
Let the cake cool before cutting. The center will sink considerably—don’t be alarmed; according to S this is perfectly normal.
Mmmm that does look just right! When i was a kid growing up in Philly our neighborhood bakey was German. My buddies and I would all chip in to get a couple of these cakes and eat them with 1/2 gals of ice tea on summer mornings. 1000x tastier than a tastycake.
Gaetano, please tell me you stopped gorging on these cakes at some point! I can't imagine the human heart could take so much butter for very long.
Debbie,
I tried out your recipe and ate about 1/2 the cake. That's the first bite I've had since the 70's.
It tasted just like the version I ate, way back when, at Scherrer's Bakery.
Hey, that's great, Gaetano! So glad I could give you a little piece of your youth. Now do me a favor, and don't go eating the other half any time soon–your arteries need a break.
can't believe it this is the recipe that looks just like stocks in philly I moved to DE. and have been googling for months thank you can't wait to bake miss fishtown
So glad I could help, Lorraine! Hope it turns out the way you expected.
This was my favorite cake growing up in Philly. A bakery on the corner of Lawrence St & Girard Ave made it only on week ends. It finally closed after all these years.
There is a bakery in Riverside NJ that still makes this but the baker refused to share the recipe with me.
Thanks for this.
Patrick
Thank you Debbie for the pictures! This looks exactly like the Philadelphia butter cake we would buy from the Daleville "branch" of the Kaltenbach Bakery, Scranton, PA. I plan to make it this coming week for Saturday breakfast when my sister comes this weekend. She will be blown away with the memory!I've looked for the recipe before but wasn't sure it was the right one until I saw your blog with the pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh….finally the real thing. I baked a "buttercake" from the food tv network and it looked like the real thing but was far from the real taste and ooziness. Hopefully yours will be IT. thanks so much….and I'll be back to let you know. Mare from Maine and Bucks Cty
Good luck, Mare! Hope this is the one.
My hopes are high, now that i've finally stumbled upon this recipe. As a kid in Philly my grandmother would take me to the bakery when i was visiting. We would buy a butter cake. I loved it!
Made your recipe, and its very good. The topping has a kind of microscopic bubble, marshmallowy texture. The yeast cake stays soft and nice even til the I was wondering how it would taste if I used buttermilk in the topping. My thought is "ohhhh yummmm!"
So glad you liked it, KK! Thanks for stopping back to let me know. If you do try buttermilk, I'd love to hear about it.
Oh my goodness THANK YOU! I was raised in a small suburb of Philly called Drexel Hill in Upper Darby. Just about every Sunday after church my mom would take me to a place in Havertown on Township Line called the Yummy Bakery ( we always called it YumYum Bake Shop) for breakfast and to pick up a delicious buttercake!
I have searched and searched and made about 4 different recipes I found online, none of which turned out to be right, but when I saw your photos, and ready your desciption I knew THIS HAD TO BE THE RIGHT ONE!
I immediately printed this out and am in the process of making it right now. Just waiting for the dough to finish rising.
I am hoping I finally got this right because I live in South East Texas now, and there simply aren't any corner bakeries, and certainly not one has heard of a buttercake.
The only question I have is do you grease the pan? You didn't mention whether the pan was greased or ungreased in the directions. I am likely gonna give a light coat of nonstick spray just because I don't want another tragety. But thank you so much for posting and I hope it comes out just like the ooey gooey buttery sweet delight I remember from home!
CastawayKay, I’m from Havertown and grew up with Yummy buttercakes too! I haven’t tried the recipe yet – did it turn out the way you remembered? I think I’ll be making this tomorrow. Unfortunately, Yummy closed a few years ago so I won’t be able to buy one to compare.
I just found this – and my childhood memories of this cake are very similar to those of the other posters. I *know* I shouldn't make this, because then I'll eat it – probably all of it – but it has been so many years. My parents are gone, but this will bring back memories of Sunday mornings after Mass. Thanks for posting this!
CastawayKay, I'm pretty sure I gave the pan a spritz with nonstick spray–it's nearly automatic when I'm baking. But it's been a while and I honestly don't remember! Did yours work out ok?
DeborahAnne, thank you so much! I'm thrilled to think this recipe is something that has emotional resonance for so many people.
Actually, CastawayKay, I just re-read the instructions. It does say to use a "well-greased" pan! Hope yours came out ok.
My family still orders butter cake from the Mayfair Bakery in Philly so we can pick them up as we as passing by on our way up and down the east coast. There is nothing like it – and it is not easy to find! I just did a visit to Philly and took a food tour, and the guide had no idea what I was talking about, and a bakery we stopped at could not make it despite numerous attempts. Can’t wait to try this recipe – it looks just like the ones we get! Thank you!
My search is over!Have been trying for years to find this recipe. I have the fondest memories of devouring this gooey dessert when the family had Sunday breakfast together. If you didn’t pre-order or weren’t first in line at Marzel’s you faced disappointment. This cake was sold out in one hour.
I just began working at a new bakery and can’t wait to offer this delight to our customers. Who knows, Fishtown may be resurrected in Goshen, NY.
Did you have to compare it to “bodily fluids”? A little dramatic, too refusing to even taste it.
Oh. My. God. I have been searching for a butter cake recipe for a while now – I cannot wait to try yours out! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Thanks!!!
My father was a German baker in Bucks County near Philadelphia and made this. Haven’t had it in over 40 years. I’ve been looking for this recipe for ages. This looks exactly like it, can’t wait to make it and bring back great memories. Thanks so much.
It’s not the butter that’ll kill you, it’s the sugar, flour & shortening. I would use all butter & try a gluten-free coconut flour mixture. Unfortunately, there is no powdered sugar substitute that’s low carb. I’ll just have to have a tiny piece…..!
Yori’s bakery in West Chester, PA, makes authentic, to die for, German Butter Cake. Just finished the one we bought while our daughter was here last week.
I made this for my son’s 10th birthday cake… (this is his FAVORITE). The gooey topping was perfect but the cake itself tasted too much like “yeast” kind of had a pizza crust kind of smell. What do you think I did wrong? I am going to try again with less yeast. Also, here in Philly the bakery we get them from they seem to make their cake bottom with Danish dough. Do you think I could make it with some other kind of dough? Cookie dough? Just a thought! Thanks for the receipe!!! The topping was PERFECT!
Lori, my understanding is that a yeasty smell/taste comes from either using too much yeast, or letting the dough proof (rise) too long or in too warm a spot. Maybe next time try a long, cool rise instead.
in maine now for many years–originally from Huntington Valley Pa–grew up eating butter cake from a bakery on Huntington Pike, Southampton. love the looks of your cake -i am baking it now!
Is a “t” a teaspoon, and a “T” a tablespoon?
Just the pictures take me back to Philly about sixty years ago.
Yes, Donald, t = teaspoon; T = tablespoon. Glad I was able to take you back!
I never had this as a child but ran across it at Danish Bakers in Rockledge as a young adult. I’ve tried a bunch of recipes over the years, from Paula’s “Gooey Butter Cake” to Deb Perelman’s “St. Louis Butter Cake” (Smitten Kitchen) trying to replicate it since I now live in places either 200 or 500 miles away. Nothing was right. I found this recipe here long ago and have been waiting for just the right audience to try it out, because I think it’s “the one”! I think I’ll try it side-by-side in a taste test my next time in Phila. at 4th of July! THANK YOU for putting this up. I’ll come back with real evaluations of each… you know- the old “compare/contrast”. I can’t wait!